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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. shower — rain
  3. cap — of ice
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. season — in sport
  8. mate — to breed
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cap — a lid
  11. swing — music
  12. cold — an illness
  13. firm — a company
  14. shower — to wash
  15. firm — steady
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — not warm
  18. season — of the year
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. swing — to play on
  22. cap — a hat
  23. firm — decided
  24. mate — a friend

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