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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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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: present · race · mark · stand · straw · nail · court · pound

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. race — humankind
  6. present — a gift
  7. pound — a weight
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mark — a trace
  13. court — of a king
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. court — of law
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. court — for sport
  24. straw — dry grass

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