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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 · wake · ground · march · cell · pound · safe · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pound — a weight
  8. march — the month
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cell — a phone
  14. ground — a position
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. march — the month
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. march — music
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pass — a permit

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