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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. chest — a box
  3. race — humankind
  4. bank — of a river
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bank — for money
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bank — for money
  12. pop — soda
  13. chest — of your body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. race — the arms race

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