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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. race — a contest
  3. chair — a leader
  4. content — happy
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. content — the amount
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. rule — government
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rule — a law
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — humankind
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. nail — for a hammer

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