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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: race · cap · bear · field · club · pound · key · nail

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. race — the arms race
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. key — for a lock
  5. field — for sport
  6. pound — a weight
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. field — a subject
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. cap — a lid
  15. key — the most important part
  16. club — for golf
  17. field — farmland
  18. key — in music
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pound — for dogs

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