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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: wind · club · firm · suit · row · swing

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wind — moving air
  3. club — a group
  4. wind — moving air
  5. club — for dancing
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. firm — steady
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. swing — to play on
  10. suit — in cards
  11. club — for golf
  12. suit — clothes
  13. row — to paddle
  14. firm — a company
  15. swing — music
  16. firm — decided
  17. swing — in golf
  18. suit — to fit

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