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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. roll — a list
  4. cell — in biology
  5. clip — for paper
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. mug — to rob
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pound — a weight
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rock — music
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cell — a phone
  18. roll — a cake
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. clip — a video
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. mug — a face
  24. date — on the calendar

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