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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. capital — money
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. rock — music
  6. pass — a permit
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wind — moving air
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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