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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. race — the arms race
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. race — a contest
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. race — humankind
  10. chip — for betting
  11. content — the amount
  12. kid — child
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. content — happy
  18. kid — to tease
  19. chip — to eat
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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