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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: pound · bay · mate · arm · wake · race · bound · fall

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. race — humankind
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bound — certain
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mate — a partner
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. fall — the season
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. mate — a friend
  22. fall — to drop
  23. race — the arms race
  24. wake — a trail

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