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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · snap · bank · kick · pound · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. 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. last — final
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — a contest
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bank — for money
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bank — for money
  11. snap — to click
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pound — a weight
  14. last — to go on
  15. bank — of a river
  16. last — finally
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. 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