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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. race — a contest
  3. date — the fruit
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. chip — for betting
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. race — humankind
  10. land — ground
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stock — shares
  14. pound — a weight
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. race — the arms race
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. date — on the calendar

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