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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  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 — to hit hard
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. race — the arms race
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cue — a hint
  6. stem — to come from
  7. rash — a series
  8. cue — for pool
  9. race — a contest
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pound — a weight
  15. hand — help
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. kid — child
  21. cue — a signal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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