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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. net — after costs
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. field — for sport
  5. tube — a container
  6. field — a subject
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pass — a permit
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pound — a weight
  11. net — in sport
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. race — a contest
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. rule — a law
  17. race — humankind
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. field — farmland
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rule — government
  22. tube — the underground
  23. net — for catching
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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