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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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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: key · hide · rush · fine · swing · row · foot · snap

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. key — for a lock
  5. foot — a measure
  6. key — in music
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. swing — to play on
  11. snap — to click
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rush — hurry
  15. swing — music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. row — a line
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. swing — in golf
  23. row — to paddle
  24. foot — the bottom

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