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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · fine · squash · pass · mate · pound · mine · leaves

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. fine — all right
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. mate — a partner
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fine — high quality
  18. chest — a box
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mate — to breed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. chest — of your body
  24. squash — the sport

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