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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 120 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: march · pass · bowl · swing · straw · pound · content · rest

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. content — the amount
  5. pound — a weight
  6. rest — a break
  7. content — happy
  8. swing — in golf
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. march — music
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. march — the month
  19. swing — to play on
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. swing — music
  22. march — the month
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. rest — what's left

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