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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mine — for digging
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pass — a permit
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. pound — a weight
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stock — shares
  22. lie — to recline
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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