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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. face — part of the head
  8. lean — to bend
  9. field — a subject
  10. row — a line
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. mate — a partner
  15. field — farmland
  16. face — to confront
  17. mate — a friend
  18. field — for sport
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lean — thin
  23. mate — to breed
  24. row — to paddle

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