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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. mug — to rob
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. drill — army training
  13. mug — a cup
  14. swing — in golf
  15. mug — a face
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. snap — to click
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. foot — a measure
  24. drill — the tool

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