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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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468
Word bank
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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. game — a match
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pound — a weight
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. net — in sport
  20. cell — a phone
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pound — for dogs

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