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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. board — a committee
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. ground — a position
  8. race — a contest
  9. degree — an amount
  10. current — happening now
  11. ground — crushed
  12. race — the arms race
  13. current — electric
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. race — humankind
  19. degree — temperature
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. board — to get on
  23. current — of water
  24. board — a flat piece

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