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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · pound · march · swing · cabinet · bear · court · season

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. track — a path
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. swing — in golf
  6. season — in sport
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. track — to keep track
  9. court — for sport
  10. bear — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. court — of a king
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. march — the month
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. court — of law
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pound — a weight
  20. swing — to play on
  21. track — a song
  22. season — of the year
  23. swing — music
  24. march — music

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