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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rule — a law
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rock — music
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. court — of a king
  9. rock — a stone
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. shower — rain
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. race — humankind
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. race — a contest
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. race — the arms race
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. rule — government

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