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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bear — the animal
  3. toast — bread
  4. race — humankind
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pound — a weight
  11. race — a contest
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. current — of water
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. current — happening now
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. current — electric
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pound — for dogs

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