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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: calf · game · race · pound · craft · drill · pop · content

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. pound — a weight
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. craft — boats
  5. pop — soda
  6. race — the arms race
  7. drill — the tool
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. content — the amount
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. game — a match
  13. drill — army training
  14. content — happy
  15. drill — a practice
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. race — humankind
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. race — a contest
  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