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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: deal · chair · mug · season · race · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. mug — to rob
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. chair — a leader
  8. race — humankind
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. mug — a face
  11. season — in sport
  12. mug — a cup
  13. pound — a weight
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. season — of the year

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