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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. field — farmland
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. shower — to wash
  6. object — an aim
  7. swing — music
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pound — a weight
  10. field — for sport
  11. pass — a permit
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fine — all right
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. dip — to sink
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. object — a thing
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. swing — in golf
  21. shower — rain
  22. field — a subject
  23. fine — high quality
  24. swing — to play on

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