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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: fan · pop · board · kick · pound · straw · race · bound

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. race — the arms race
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. board — a committee
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. board — to get on
  10. race — humankind
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. race — a contest
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bound — tied together
  16. kick — in football
  17. bound — obliged
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bound — certain
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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