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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. present — there
  3. pop — to visit
  4. file — a document
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. pop — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. file — a line of people
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pop — soda
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pound — a weight
  17. drill — army training
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. file — a tool
  21. present — a gift
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. present — the time now

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