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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. race — a contest
  3. pit — a hole
  4. root — of a word
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pit — in a race
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. race — humankind
  13. season — in sport
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. root — of a plant
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. root — the cause

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