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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 · ruler · wound · race · fine · ball · chest · net

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. race — humankind
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. net — for catching
  7. chest — a box
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. net — in sport
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fine — high quality
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. wound — an injury
  24. net — after costs

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