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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 120 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. field — for sport
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. can — a tin
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cold — an illness
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. sharp — clever
  23. can — a tin
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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