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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. scale — in music
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. march — the month
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. march — the month
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wind — moving air
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. march — music
  19. swing — music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pound — for dogs

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