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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pound — a weight
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. band — a ring
  6. stock — shares
  7. ground — a position
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. track — a song
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. stock — goods
  17. band — a music group
  18. track — a path
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. band — a rubber band

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