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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 120 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. ball — a dance
  3. pound — a weight
  4. mug — to rob
  5. race — the arms race
  6. branch — a division
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. swing — music
  10. mug — a face
  11. ball — a great time
  12. swing — to play on
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. mug — a cup
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. capital — a city
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. swing — in golf
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. capital — money

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