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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. court — for sport
  3. march — the month
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fall — the season
  6. clip — a video
  7. staff — employees
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. march — music
  11. court — of law
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. clip — for paper
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. march — the month
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. clip — to cut
  22. staff — a stick
  23. court — of a king
  24. staff — employees

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