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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: field · pitch · pound · bound · race · ruler

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. field — a subject
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. field — farmland
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. race — humankind
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bound — certain
  13. race — a contest
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pitch — completely
  18. field — for sport

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