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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pass · rest · pound · safe · capital · mate

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pound — a weight
  8. mate — a partner
  9. capital — a city
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. capital — money
  18. rest — a break

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