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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 120 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: hand · pop · fine · swing · fork · hide · row · current

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. swing — to play on
  3. hand — in cards
  4. row — a line
  5. swing — music
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pop — to visit
  8. fork — in a road
  9. pop — soda
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pop — music
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. current — of water
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. current — happening now
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. swing — in golf
  22. current — electric
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hand — help

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