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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. march — the month
  3. race — the arms race
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. net — in sport
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. march — the month
  9. stand — to bear
  10. net — after costs
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. march — music
  13. dip — to sink
  14. net — for catching
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — humankind
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs

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