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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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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: pound · patient · race · straw · game · fall · jam · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fall — to drop
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. foot — a measure
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. race — humankind
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. race — a contest
  20. game — a match
  21. fall — the season
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. fall — to drop
  24. patient — a sick person

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