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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 · row · rule · squash · foot · game · snap · track

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. squash — the sport
  5. row — to paddle
  6. track — a song
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. squash — to crush
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. rule — a law
  12. game — a match
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. game — wild animals
  16. swing — to play on
  17. rule — government
  18. row — a line
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. swing — in golf
  22. track — a path
  23. snap — to click
  24. foot — a measure

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