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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. mark — a trace
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. root — the cause
  6. content — happy
  7. mark — a grade
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pound — a weight
  11. club — for golf
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. kid — to tease
  18. club — a group
  19. kid — child
  20. root — of a word
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — music
  23. root — of a plant
  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