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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. roll — a cake
  7. mug — a cup
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. mug — to rob
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. snap — to click
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mug — a face
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. file — a line of people
  24. roll — a list

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