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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: wave · snap · foot · row · march · swing · net · pop

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. march — the month
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. foot — a measure
  18. swing — in golf
  19. net — after costs
  20. row — a line
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. swing — music
  23. snap — to click
  24. pop — music

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