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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lie — to recline
  4. kid — child
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. kid — to tease
  14. sharp — clever
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fall — the season
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — a weight
  20. fall — to drop
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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