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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: race · pop · pound · last · racket · chair

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pop — music
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. last — to go on
  7. race — the arms race
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. race — a contest
  11. last — finally
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. last — final
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pound — a weight

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