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

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. race — a contest
  4. pound — a weight
  5. race — humankind
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — government
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bat — the animal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. race — the arms race
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — the time now

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