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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. race — humankind
  8. spell — letters
  9. board — to get on
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. land — a country
  12. spell — magic
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pound — a weight

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