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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 · squash · last · calf · mark · file · row · root

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. mark — a grade
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. root — of a word
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a trace
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. squash — the sport
  19. swing — in golf
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. last — to go on
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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