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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 · race · tear · suit · band · ball · mark · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. suit — clothes
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mark — a grade
  6. suit — in cards
  7. chest — of your body
  8. band — a music group
  9. race — humankind
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. band — a ring
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mark — a trace
  20. race — a contest
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. suit — to fit
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pound — a weight

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