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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. mine — for digging
  3. race — a contest
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. club — a group
  7. field — for sport
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. saw — the tool
  10. race — humankind
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. field — a subject
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. field — farmland
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — for golf
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. press — to push

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