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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: mine · march · stick · arm · race · pound · object · net

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. net — after costs
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. march — music
  6. object — to protest
  7. pound — a weight
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. object — an aim
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. march — the month
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. race — the arms race
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. march — the month
  18. mine — for digging
  19. object — a thing
  20. race — humankind
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. race — a contest

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