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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 120 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. swing — to play on
  4. season — of the year
  5. shower — to wash
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. mug — a cup
  11. rest — a break
  12. season — in sport
  13. swing — music
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. mug — to rob
  16. land — ground
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. foot — a measure
  23. swing — in golf
  24. mug — a face

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