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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pound — a weight
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. track — a path
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. ground — a position
  10. last — finally
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. row — to paddle
  14. track — a song
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. pass — a permit
  17. ground — the earth
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. track — to keep track
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. temple — a place of worship

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