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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rock — music
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rock — a stone
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. court — of law
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. court — of a king
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mate — to breed

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