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

Word bank: swing · mate · row · plane · chip · wind

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. swing — to play on
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. row — a line
  9. wind — moving air
  10. plane — a tool
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — to eat
  13. swing — in golf
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key

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