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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: row · board · lean · kid · mine · mouse · deal · swing

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. row — a line
  4. deal — to handle
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. row — to paddle
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. kid — child
  12. swing — music
  13. lean — to bend
  14. board — to get on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mine — for digging
  18. kid — to tease
  19. board — a committee
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. swing — to play on
  24. deal — an agreement

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