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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 116 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. current — electric
  5. face — to point toward
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. face — to confront
  11. stand — to bear
  12. track — a path
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. track — a song
  16. squash — the sport
  17. race — humankind
  18. squash — to crush
  19. face — part of the head
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. track — to keep track
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pound — to hit hard

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