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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. ground — a position
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. swing — in golf
  14. pop — soda
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. swing — music
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wake — a trail

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