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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 · chest · scale · race · tear · object · cap · pit

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. race — the arms race
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pit — in a race
  7. object — to protest
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pound — a weight
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cap — a hat
  14. object — a thing
  15. chest — a box
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. chest — of your body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chest — of your body
  23. race — humankind
  24. object — an aim

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