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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pound — a weight
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. object — an aim
  8. race — a contest
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. race — the arms race
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. content — happy
  19. spell — magic
  20. perch — the fish
  21. race — humankind
  22. content — the amount
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. object — a thing

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