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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. race — a contest
  4. spring — a coil
  5. race — humankind
  6. board — to get on
  7. stock — shares
  8. board — a committee
  9. pound — a weight
  10. content — happy
  11. foot — a measure
  12. chip — for betting
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. spring — the season
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. stock — goods
  20. spring — of water
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. chip — to eat
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. race — the arms race

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