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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. present — the time now
  3. last — finally
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. last — final
  7. present — a gift
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. present — there
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. track — a song
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. last — to go on
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. track — to keep track
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pitch — completely

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