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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 · pop · pound · shower · key · bat · dip · last

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — to sink
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pop — soda
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pass — a permit
  16. last — final
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. key — the most important part
  20. shower — rain
  21. key — in music
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pop — music

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