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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. last — to go on
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. can — a tin
  7. field — for sport
  8. last — finally
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. root — the cause
  11. last — final
  12. root — of a word
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. race — a contest
  18. wound — an injury
  19. field — farmland
  20. wound — an injury
  21. race — humankind
  22. can — a tin
  23. race — the arms race
  24. field — a subject

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