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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. club — for golf
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wound — an injury
  9. club — a group
  10. pound — a weight
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bound — obliged
  14. race — the arms race
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bound — certain
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. race — a contest
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. race — humankind

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