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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. last — to go on
  4. rule — government
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. staff — employees
  8. face — part of the head
  9. last — finally
  10. wind — moving air
  11. degree — from a university
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wind — moving air
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. face — to confront
  17. pass — a permit
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. rule — a law
  22. last — final
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wind — to turn a key

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