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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. march — the month
  5. band — a music group
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. deal — to handle
  8. current — electric
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. march — the month
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. row — a line
  15. current — of water
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. shower — to wash
  19. march — music
  20. band — a ring
  21. swing — music
  22. shower — rain
  23. current — happening now
  24. band — a rubber band

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com