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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. swing — music
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. swing — in golf
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. season — of the year
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. root — the cause
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. season — in sport
  20. bat — the animal
  21. root — of a word
  22. date — the fruit
  23. root — of a plant
  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