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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: pound · swing · race · spell · craft · roll · pit · chest

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. spell — magic
  3. craft — boats
  4. chest — of your body
  5. swing — music
  6. race — humankind
  7. roll — a cake
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pit — a hole
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. swing — to play on
  14. spell — letters
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pit — in a race
  17. roll — a list
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — a skill
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. chest — a box
  22. swing — in golf
  23. chest — of your body
  24. roll — on a roll

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