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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. net — in sport
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. root — of a plant
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. last — to go on
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. net — for catching
  10. bound — certain
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. net — after costs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. last — final
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bound — obliged
  18. root — of a word
  19. last — finally
  20. kid — child
  21. root — the cause
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pass — to spend time

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