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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pound — a weight
  3. race — the arms race
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. race — a contest
  11. bear — the animal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fall — the season
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. race — humankind
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bear — the animal
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. degree — an amount
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. lie — to recline
  24. degree — temperature

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