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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: straw · stand · wind · foot · sharp · row · swing · deal

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. wind — moving air
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wind — moving air
  8. swing — to play on
  9. sharp — clever
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. row — to paddle
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. row — a line
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. straw — a straw man

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