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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. hand — in cards
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. swing — to play on
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. prune — to trim
  13. march — the month
  14. ball — a dance
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. march — music
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. swing — in golf
  20. march — the month
  21. swing — music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. hand — help
  24. pound — for dogs

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