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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. degree — temperature
  3. race — humankind
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bound — tied together
  7. row — to paddle
  8. race — a contest
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rush — hurry
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pound — a weight
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wax — to grow
  18. row — a line
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bound — certain

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