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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 120 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mark — a trace
  3. can — to be able to
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mark — a grade
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. can — a tin
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. swing — in golf
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. can — a tin
  23. swing — music
  24. safe — out of danger

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