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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bound — certain
  4. march — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. bound — obliged
  7. scale — in music
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. march — the month
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. march — the month
  17. bound — tied together
  18. swing — in golf
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pop — to visit
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. vault — a safe
  23. pop — music
  24. swing — music

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