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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. mate — to breed
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. pound — a weight
  5. present — the time now
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. present — a gift
  8. face — to point toward
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rule — a law
  16. present — there
  17. rule — government
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pass — a permit
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. mate — a friend
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. face — to confront
  24. jam — a tight spot

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