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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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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: dip · firm · spell · pitcher · bass · race · pound · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bass — low music
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. firm — a company
  8. race — humankind
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. firm — steady
  11. race — the arms race
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bass — the fish
  15. chest — of your body
  16. firm — decided
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. race — a contest
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chest — a box
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pound — to hit hard

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