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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. race — humankind
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. band — a music group
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. object — to protest
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. shower — rain
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — a weight
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — an aim
  17. chip — to eat
  18. lean — to bend
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. shower — to wash
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. ball — a dance

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