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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. rush — hurry
  4. last — final
  5. stock — goods
  6. pound — a weight
  7. staff — employees
  8. race — humankind
  9. last — to go on
  10. cell — in biology
  11. race — the arms race
  12. staff — employees
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. stock — shares
  16. mark — a trace
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. race — a contest
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. cell — a phone
  23. staff — a stick
  24. last — finally

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