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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — a permit
  4. mug — to rob
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. chest — a box
  7. mug — a face
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. chest — of your body
  10. sharp — clever
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. mug — a cup
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pound — a weight
  23. fork — in a road
  24. foot — part of the body

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