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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 124 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. game — a match
  3. swing — music
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. swing — to play on
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. swing — in golf
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wind — moving air
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wound — an injury
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. row — to paddle
  24. racket — a loud noise

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