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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. can — a tin
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. can — a tin
  5. last — finally
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. mark — a grade
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mark — a trace
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. last — final
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. last — to go on
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. land — a country
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pound — for dogs

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