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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 116 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pass — a permit
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. face — part of the head
  14. season — in sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bark — to shout
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. season — of the year
  22. rest — a break
  23. face — to confront
  24. wound — an injury

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