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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pound — a weight
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. row — a line
  6. track — to keep track
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. row — to paddle
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. hand — help
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. season — of the year
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fine — high quality
  19. track — a song
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. track — a path
  22. fine — all right
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. season — in sport

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