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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. staff — employees
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. chest — a box
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pass — a permit
  12. field — for sport
  13. staff — employees
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pound — a weight
  16. staff — a stick
  17. field — farmland
  18. ground — a position
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. field — a subject
  24. calf — a young animal

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