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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rule — government
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. march — music
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. march — the month
  8. mug — to rob
  9. ball — a great time
  10. kid — child
  11. swing — to play on
  12. rule — a law
  13. capital — a city
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. march — the month
  17. mug — a face
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mug — a cup
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. ball — a dance
  23. capital — money
  24. swing — in golf

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