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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · swing · charge · tear · firm · pass

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. charge — a price
  5. tear — to rip
  6. firm — a company
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. swing — to play on
  11. charge — electricity
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. charge — in control
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. firm — decided

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