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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. tear — to rip
  7. race — humankind
  8. ground — a position
  9. race — a contest
  10. ground — crushed
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. key — in music
  15. race — the arms race
  16. key — the most important part
  17. pop — to visit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pop — music
  21. tear — from crying
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pound — a weight

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