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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. swing — music
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. suit — in cards
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. suit — clothes
  9. swing — to play on
  10. season — in sport
  11. chip — to eat
  12. season — of the year
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. suit — to fit
  16. swing — in golf
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rest — a break
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. capital — a city
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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