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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. swing — music
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stand — to bear
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. field — a subject
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pound — a weight
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. field — for sport
  17. ball — a dance
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. swing — to play on
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. field — farmland
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stand — on your feet

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