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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: squash · ground · drill · swing · mug · pound · present · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. drill — army training
  3. ground — a position
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. mug — to rob
  8. pound — a weight
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. squash — to crush
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. present — the time now
  18. mug — a face
  19. present — a gift
  20. squash — the sport
  21. ground — the earth
  22. swing — music
  23. drill — a practice
  24. present — there

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