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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pass — a permit
  4. stock — shares
  5. present — there
  6. pop — music
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. content — happy
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. content — the amount
  13. stock — goods
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pop — soda
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pop — to visit
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — the time now
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. scale — in music
  23. game — a match
  24. scale — size or range

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