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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: pound · march · chair · pass · kid · sharp · bulb · face

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. march — music
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bulb — for light
  15. face — to point toward
  16. chair — a leader
  17. kid — child
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bulb — for light
  20. march — the month
  21. pass — a permit
  22. face — to confront
  23. kid — to tease
  24. sharp — exactly

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