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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pass — a permit
  8. suit — to fit
  9. hand — help
  10. rash — a series
  11. clip — a video
  12. suit — in cards
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fork — in a road
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pound — a weight
  24. suit — clothes

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