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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. net — for catching
  6. rule — government
  7. hand — in cards
  8. net — in sport
  9. rule — a law
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. scale — in music
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. scale — size or range
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. net — after costs
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. deal — to handle
  22. race — a contest
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. hand — help

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