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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bark — to shout
  13. court — of a king
  14. cell — in biology
  15. court — of law
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. court — for sport
  24. pound — to hit hard

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