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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: row · pit · date · mug · swing · rash · bound · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pit — a hole
  3. rash — hasty
  4. date — the fruit
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. swing — music
  7. bound — certain
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. swing — in golf
  10. mug — a cup
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. row — a line
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pit — in a race
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. board — to get on
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bound — obliged
  24. row — to paddle

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