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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mug — a cup
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. lean — thin
  9. chip — to eat
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. hand — help
  12. race — a contest
  13. mug — to rob
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. lean — to bend
  18. spring — a coil
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. hand — in cards
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mug — a face

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