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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. mark — a grade
  9. last — to go on
  10. staff — a stick
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mark — a trace
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bass — low music
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. staff — employees
  22. last — finally
  23. staff — employees
  24. pass — to succeed

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