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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. file — a tool
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. saw — the tool
  6. file — a document
  7. saw — the tool
  8. court — of a king
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pound — a weight
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. foot — a measure
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stem — to come from
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. ground — a position
  24. pass — to succeed

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