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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.

Words on the sheet
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: pop · craft · swing · key · row · plane · kid · rush

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. swing — music
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. swing — to play on
  6. rush — hurry
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pop — to visit
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. key — in music
  11. row — a line
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pop — music
  14. craft — boats
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. kid — child
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. pop — soda
  21. plane — a tool
  22. key — the most important part
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. craft — a skill

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