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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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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 · club · chair · present · bowl · mine · temple · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. swing — music
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mine — for digging
  9. present — there
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. present — a gift
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. club — for golf
  17. present — the time now
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. swing — in golf
  20. club — a group
  21. row — a line
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. chair — a leader
  24. row — a quarrel

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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