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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. field — for sport
  4. key — the most important part
  5. present — the time now
  6. pound — a weight
  7. key — for a lock
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. press — to push
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. tear — from crying
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. field — farmland
  15. key — in music
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. tear — to rip
  19. field — a subject
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — there
  22. pass — a permit
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pound — for dogs

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