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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: pound · foot · mine · calf · present · row · pass · sharp

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. present — a gift
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. foot — a measure
  8. mine — for digging
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. present — the time now
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. row — to paddle
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. pass — a permit
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. row — a line
  23. present — there
  24. sharp — clever

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