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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rule — a law
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. race — the arms race
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pound — a weight
  9. race — a contest
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wake — a trail
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. ball — a dance
  23. race — humankind
  24. rule — government

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