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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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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: mark · row · band · racket · cell · straw · swing · arm

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. swing — music
  3. mark — a trace
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. band — a ring
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. cell — a phone
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cell — in biology
  16. swing — in golf
  17. mark — a grade
  18. row — a line
  19. row — to paddle
  20. band — a music group
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cell — in a prison

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