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

Word bank: bay · present · chest · stick · swing · row

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. chest — of your body
  4. row — to paddle
  5. chest — a box
  6. swing — music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. row — a line
  13. present — the time now
  14. chest — of your body
  15. present — a gift
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. present — there

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