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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mark — a trace
  3. spell — letters
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. race — humankind
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. race — a contest
  9. spell — a short time
  10. band — a ring
  11. mark — a grade
  12. rash — a series
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rash — hasty
  15. row — a line
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. spell — magic
  23. band — a music group
  24. row — to paddle

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