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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pop — soda
  6. swing — in golf
  7. pound — a weight
  8. mark — a grade
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. swing — music
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. kid — child
  14. pop — to visit
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pop — music
  17. stand — to bear
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mark — a trace
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mark — to pay attention

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