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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: face · mate · tube · pound · ruler · content · lean · race

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pound — a weight
  8. race — humankind
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mate — a friend
  12. tube — the underground
  13. face — to confront
  14. content — the amount
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. mate — a partner
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. content — happy
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. face — part of the head
  23. tube — a container
  24. mate — to breed

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