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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: club · race · can · pound · mate · kick

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. can — a tin
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. club — for dancing
  5. can — a tin
  6. mate — a friend
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. race — a contest
  9. mate — a partner
  10. pound — a weight
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. kick — in football
  15. mate — to breed
  16. race — the arms race
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group

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