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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: club · toast · pound · cold · race · mug · net · suit

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mug — to rob
  4. net — for catching
  5. pound — a weight
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mug — a face
  8. toast — bread
  9. club — for golf
  10. net — after costs
  11. cold — an illness
  12. suit — in cards
  13. net — in sport
  14. suit — to fit
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. race — a contest
  18. club — for dancing
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. suit — clothes
  21. club — a group
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. race — humankind
  24. mug — a cup

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