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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. track — a path
  4. degree — an amount
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. pop — music
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. track — to keep track
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stock — shares
  19. rest — what's left
  20. track — a song
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. stock — goods

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