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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. race — the arms race
  4. track — to keep track
  5. rock — music
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — a weight
  10. track — a path
  11. race — a contest
  12. rock — a stone
  13. track — a song
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rule — a law
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rule — government
  18. race — humankind

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