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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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Word bank
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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: bank · pass · last · pound · squash · file · firm · net

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pound — a weight
  3. firm — decided
  4. net — for catching
  5. firm — steady
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. last — final
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. file — a tool
  11. net — in sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bank — for money
  14. last — finally
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bank — for money
  17. pass — a permit
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. net — after costs
  21. bank — of a river
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. firm — a company

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