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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: nail · kick · game · land · band · pound · cap · pass

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — a weight
  3. cap — a lid
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. land — ground
  11. band — a ring
  12. pass — a permit
  13. land — a country
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. game — a match
  17. land — to come down
  18. game — wild animals
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. band — a music group
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. game — a kind of play

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