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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bass — the fish
  3. swing — music
  4. track — a path
  5. swing — to play on
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. track — a song
  9. pound — a weight
  10. charge — electricity
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. track — to keep track
  13. snap — to click
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. charge — in control
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. charge — a price
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bass — low music
  24. mine — for digging

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