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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pound — a weight
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wake — a trail
  9. snap — to click
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. lie — to recline
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. swing — music
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. track — to keep track

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