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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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. degree — from a university
  3. race — humankind
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. rest — a break
  7. perch — the fish
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. capital — a city
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rest — what's left
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. foot — a measure
  16. degree — temperature
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. race — the arms race
  19. rest — what's left
  20. race — a contest
  21. plane — a tool
  22. degree — an amount
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. capital — money

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