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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. race — humankind
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rule — government
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. kick — in football
  10. mark — a trace
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. race — the arms race
  13. rule — a law
  14. bank — of a river
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bank — for money
  18. race — a contest
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bank — for money
  21. band — a music group
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. mark — a grade
  24. squash — the vegetable

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