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

Word bank: bowl · chair · board · race · wake · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pound — a weight
  8. board — to get on
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chair — a leader
  11. board — a committee
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. race — humankind
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. race — a contest

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