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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: pound · pop · swing · hand · pass · fine · rule · nail

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rule — a law
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pop — soda
  8. fine — all right
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. rule — government
  13. pop — music
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pop — to visit
  19. hand — help
  20. swing — in golf
  21. pass — a permit
  22. swing — music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fine — a penalty

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