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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: season · bear · roll · swing · cue · row · pop · mine

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bear — the animal
  4. swing — in golf
  5. row — to paddle
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. season — in sport
  8. bear — the animal
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. swing — music
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. row — a line
  15. cue — for pool
  16. pop — music
  17. mine — for digging
  18. season — of the year
  19. swing — to play on
  20. roll — a cake
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — a signal
  23. roll — a list
  24. pop — soda

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