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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 120 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. firm — steady
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. march — music
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bulb — for light
  7. clip — to cut
  8. cue — for pool
  9. swing — in golf
  10. march — the month
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. swing — music
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bulb — for light
  16. firm — decided
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. swing — to play on
  21. clip — for paper
  22. firm — a company
  23. clip — a video
  24. march — the month

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