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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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Word bank
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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: swing · jam · sharp · wave · ground · last · march · pound

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. swing — music
  4. last — finally
  5. march — the month
  6. last — final
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pound — a weight
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. ground — crushed
  12. march — the month
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. ground — the earth
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. march — music
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. last — to go on
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — in traffic

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