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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. track — to keep track
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. tear — to rip
  7. track — a song
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bass — low music
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. tear — from crying
  12. staff — employees
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. track — a path
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bass — the fish
  24. racket — for tennis

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