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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. swing — to play on
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bank — for money
  10. swing — music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rash — a series
  14. bank — of a river
  15. rash — hasty
  16. dip — to sink
  17. scale — in music
  18. bank — for money
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. hand — help
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rash — on the skin

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