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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · swing · spell · snap · shower · fan · squash · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bat — the animal
  12. row — to paddle
  13. spell — letters
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. squash — to crush
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. shower — rain
  21. spell — a short time
  22. squash — the sport
  23. spell — magic
  24. snap — to click

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