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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 · kid · land · ball · can · row · ruler · stand

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. land — to come down
  5. kid — child
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. can — to be able to
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. row — a line
  11. swing — music
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. can — a tin
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ball — a dance
  17. can — a tin
  18. land — ground
  19. swing — in golf
  20. row — to paddle
  21. swing — to play on
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. stand — for spectators

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