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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 · last · row · staff · mate · stand · swing · content

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mate — a partner
  6. stand — to bear
  7. content — the amount
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. staff — employees
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mate — a friend
  14. last — to go on
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. mate — to breed
  17. content — happy
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. staff — employees
  20. row — a line
  21. staff — a stick
  22. swing — music
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. row — a quarrel

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