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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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Word bank
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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 · club · fan · row · chair · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. swing — to play on
  3. club — a group
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. swing — in golf
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. row — a line
  10. club — for golf
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. club — for dancing
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. row — to paddle
  18. swing — music

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