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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. kid — child
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pound — a weight
  9. swing — in golf
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. swing — music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. field — a subject
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. swing — to play on
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. kid — to tease

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