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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. deal — to handle
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. march — the month
  13. rash — hasty
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pound — a weight
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rash — a series
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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