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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. spell — magic
  5. band — a ring
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pound — a weight
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. race — humankind
  11. cue — a signal
  12. spell — letters
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cue — for pool
  15. band — a music group
  16. squash — to crush
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cue — a hint
  19. squash — the sport
  20. snap — to click
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. race — the arms race
  23. mark — a grade
  24. spell — a short time

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