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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: march · pass · foot · pound · calf · track · land · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. land — to come down
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. march — the month
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. track — to keep track
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pass — a permit
  12. march — the month
  13. pound — a weight
  14. track — a song
  15. land — ground
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. track — a path
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. march — music
  21. land — a country
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. foot — part of the body

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