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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. race — the arms race
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rash — a series
  6. fork — in a road
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. race — humankind
  9. rest — a break
  10. kid — to tease
  11. march — the month
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. march — the month
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. lean — thin
  18. race — a contest
  19. march — music
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. lean — to bend
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rest — what's left

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