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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: pit · row · kid · file · hide · game · board · swing

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. swing — music
  3. file — a line of people
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. row — to paddle
  6. swing — in golf
  7. board — a committee
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kid — to tease
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. board — to get on
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. swing — to play on
  17. file — a document
  18. game — a match
  19. file — a tool
  20. pit — a hole
  21. kid — child
  22. pit — in a race
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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