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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. march — the month
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. board — to get on
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. race — the arms race
  9. march — the month
  10. pit — a hole
  11. board — a committee
  12. row — to paddle
  13. race — humankind
  14. pit — in a race
  15. race — a contest
  16. row — a line
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. march — music

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