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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: tear · toast · pass · fine · fan · swing · perch · pound

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — bread
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pass — a permit
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. perch — the fish
  8. fine — high quality
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. swing — to play on
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fine — all right
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. swing — music

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