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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mate — a partner
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. fine — high quality
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. fine — all right
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bound — tied together
  10. shower — rain
  11. chip — to eat
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. mate — a friend
  14. track — a song
  15. mate — to breed
  16. shower — to wash
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bound — obliged
  19. chip — for betting
  20. track — a path
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bound — certain
  24. pass — a permit

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