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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pass — a permit
  3. mate — a friend
  4. snap — to click
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. field — a subject
  8. mate — to breed
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. object — an aim
  11. key — for a lock
  12. object — a thing
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. field — farmland
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. object — to protest
  17. pound — a weight
  18. mate — a partner
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. key — in music
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. field — for sport
  24. pass — to succeed

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