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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: race · fall · can · mate · snap · pound · cell · pitcher

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. can — a tin
  3. cell — in biology
  4. pound — a weight
  5. cell — a phone
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fall — to drop
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. race — humankind
  11. fall — the season
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. can — a tin
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. can — to be able to
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. race — a contest
  20. mate — to breed
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. snap — to click

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