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

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. club — for dancing
  6. swing — in golf
  7. march — the month
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. march — the month
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cell — a phone
  18. swing — music
  19. track — a song
  20. club — for golf
  21. track — a path
  22. sharp — clever
  23. swing — to play on
  24. club — a group

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