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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. roll — a cake
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. race — humankind
  10. wind — moving air
  11. toast — bread
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to sink
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — the arms race
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. roll — a list
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stand — to bear

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