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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pound — a weight
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. charge — electricity
  10. clip — a video
  11. wake — a trail
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pass — a permit
  14. charge — a price
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. rest — what's left
  20. clip — to cut
  21. toast — bread
  22. charge — in control
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. pass — to spend time

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