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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. game — a match
  3. fine — all right
  4. last — to go on
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — clothes
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. roll — a list
  12. saw — the tool
  13. last — finally
  14. race — a contest
  15. saw — the tool
  16. last — final
  17. roll — a cake
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fine — high quality
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. race — the arms race
  22. suit — to fit
  23. roll — on a roll
  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