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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: nail · fall · season · rash · bore · swing · row · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. row — to paddle
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. season — in sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. swing — in golf
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fall — to drop
  14. game — a match
  15. season — of the year
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. swing — music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. row — a line
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bore — to tire
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rash — a series

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