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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. ground — a position
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. face — to point toward
  13. ground — the earth
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pound — a weight
  17. face — part of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. face — to confront

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