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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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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lean — to bend
  5. net — in sport
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pass — a permit
  10. spell — magic
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. spell — letters
  20. game — a match
  21. lean — thin
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. wake — a trail

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