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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: row · content · swing · club · mark · suit · wave · cold

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. swing — in golf
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. suit — in cards
  5. row — a line
  6. mark — a grade
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. club — for dancing
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. suit — clothes
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. swing — music
  15. suit — to fit
  16. club — a group
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mark — a trace
  21. row — to paddle
  22. club — for golf
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. content — happy

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