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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: pound · rule · plane · pass · sharp · hand · net · tear

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. plane — a tool
  8. hand — help
  9. tear — to rip
  10. sharp — clever
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — a law
  14. net — in sport
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. pass — a permit
  20. tear — from crying
  21. net — for catching
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. net — after costs

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