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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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Word bank
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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: kid · pop · lean · race · ball · pound · squash · board

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ball — a great time
  4. board — to get on
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. race — a contest
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. pound — a weight
  12. squash — the sport
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lean — thin
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. race — the arms race
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. board — a committee
  19. squash — to crush
  20. race — humankind
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pop — to visit
  24. kid — child

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