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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. march — music
  3. pound — a weight
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. land — ground
  6. race — a contest
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. can — to be able to
  9. march — the month
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. land — to come down
  13. race — the arms race
  14. board — to get on
  15. land — a country
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. board — a committee
  20. can — a tin
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. march — the month
  24. race — humankind

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