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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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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: rush · hand · pound · racket · roll · swing · lash · march

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. march — the month
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. march — the month
  9. swing — to play on
  10. march — music
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. roll — a list
  15. hand — in cards
  16. swing — music
  17. rush — hurry
  18. hand — help
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. roll — a cake
  24. pound — to hit hard

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