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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: pound · wake · ground · bat · pass · game · rush · jam

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bat — the animal
  11. ground — the earth
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. ground — a position
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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