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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. net — for catching
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. spring — of water
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. net — after costs
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chair — a leader
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. spring — the season
  19. bear — the animal
  20. net — in sport
  21. spring — a coil
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — a permit

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