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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: deal · last · tube · fork · cell · pound · race · key

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. tube — a container
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. deal — to handle
  6. tube — the underground
  7. race — a contest
  8. last — finally
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cell — a phone
  11. key — in music
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. last — to go on
  15. fork — in a road
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. last — final
  20. race — humankind
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. cell — in biology
  24. race — the arms race

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