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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: pound · toast · bat · race · ruler · lie

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. race — humankind
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. race — a contest
  13. toast — bread
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pound — a weight
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline

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