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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 · current · bowl · race · row · straw · patient · march

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a line
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. march — the month
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. swing — to play on
  8. march — music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. race — the arms race
  11. current — happening now
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. march — the month
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. race — humankind
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. race — a contest
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bowl — a dish

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