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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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. race — the arms race
  3. pound — a weight
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. net — after costs
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. race — a contest
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wound — an injury
  16. object — an aim
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. net — for catching
  19. race — humankind
  20. track — a path
  21. wound — an injury
  22. object — to protest
  23. track — a song
  24. net — in sport

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