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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pound — a weight
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — a container
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. file — a line of people
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. spell — a short time
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. file — a tool
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. file — a document
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. fork — in a road

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