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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: kid · stick · row · swing · jam · rash · charge · stand

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. row — to paddle
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. swing — to play on
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. rash — a series
  10. charge — in control
  11. kid — to tease
  12. swing — in golf
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stand — to bear
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. charge — a price
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. charge — electricity
  21. swing — music
  22. row — a line
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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