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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. drill — army training
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. drill — a practice
  8. key — in music
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mine — for digging
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mate — to breed
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. key — for a lock
  21. drill — the tool
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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