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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. season — of the year
  3. firm — steady
  4. rash — a series
  5. net — after costs
  6. firm — decided
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. clip — a video
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rash — hasty
  17. firm — a company
  18. net — for catching
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. clip — for paper
  21. net — in sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. swing — to play on
  24. season — in sport

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