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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. scale — size or range
  4. band — a music group
  5. file — a tool
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. file — a document
  11. band — a ring
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — an aim
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pound — a weight
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. object — a thing
  21. scale — in music
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pass — a permit

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