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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. hand — in cards
  3. shower — to wash
  4. firm — decided
  5. race — humankind
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. wind — moving air
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. race — a contest
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. wind — moving air
  17. race — the arms race
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. shower — rain
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. firm — a company
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. firm — steady

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