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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pop — to visit
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. file — a tool
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. face — part of the head
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pop — soda
  11. clip — to cut
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. pass — a permit
  14. clip — a video
  15. face — to point toward
  16. file — a document
  17. row — a line
  18. face — to confront
  19. clip — for paper
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. pop — music
  24. pass — to succeed

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