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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 120 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: cell · game · deal · foot · row · pass · content · pound

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. pound — a weight
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. cell — a phone
  6. game — wild animals
  7. deal — to handle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. cell — in biology
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. row — to paddle
  16. foot — a measure
  17. game — a match
  18. content — happy
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pass — a permit
  21. content — the amount
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. row — a line
  24. deal — a big deal

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