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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · pound · racket · swing · fine · rush · row · march

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rush — hurry
  6. march — the month
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. fine — all right
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — a weight
  12. row — to paddle
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. march — the month
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. tube — the underground
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. fine — high quality
  22. march — music
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. swing — in golf

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