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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: pass · nail · pound · last · kid · dip · fan · pitch

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. pass — a permit
  3. last — final
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. last — to go on
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. last — finally
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. kid — to tease
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. nail — for a hammer

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