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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: bowl · ground · pass · pound · kid · tear · safe · club

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. kid — child
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kid — to tease
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. club — for golf
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. club — for dancing
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pass — a permit
  23. ground — a position
  24. club — a group

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