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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. race — a contest
  3. cue — a hint
  4. face — part of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pound — a weight
  11. race — the arms race
  12. land — a country
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. land — to come down
  15. race — humankind
  16. snap — to click
  17. land — ground
  18. cue — for pool
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. face — to confront
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cue — a signal

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