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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. season — of the year
  3. pass — a permit
  4. deal — to handle
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pound — a weight
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bark — to shout
  14. degree — an amount
  15. sharp — clever
  16. season — in sport
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. safe — a strongbox

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