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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. swing — music
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rest — a break
  9. spring — the season
  10. pitch — completely
  11. drill — army training
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. spring — a coil
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rest — what's left
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. spring — of water

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