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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 · row · court · cap · foot · hand · hide · date

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. hand — help
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cap — a hat
  5. court — of law
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. court — of a king
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. row — a line
  10. swing — to play on
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. swing — in golf
  14. date — the fruit
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. swing — music
  19. court — for sport
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. foot — a measure

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