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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: stand · toast · game · clip · march · stick · race · pound

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. clip — to cut
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. game — wild animals
  9. race — a contest
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. game — a match
  12. clip — a video
  13. race — the arms race
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. march — the month
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. march — the month
  20. stand — to bear
  21. clip — for paper
  22. march — music
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — bread

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