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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 124 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. current — happening now
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. toast — bread
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mate — a friend
  13. race — the arms race
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. row — a line
  16. race — humankind
  17. current — electric
  18. vault — a safe
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. race — a contest
  21. current — of water
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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