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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. last — final
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. firm — decided
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. ground — a position
  7. last — to go on
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — a weight
  10. clip — a video
  11. race — humankind
  12. clip — to cut
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. firm — a company
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. last — finally
  21. snap — to click
  22. ground — crushed
  23. firm — steady
  24. clip — for paper

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