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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: cabinet · pound · march · race · ground · club · cell · lie

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. race — the arms race
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. club — for golf
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pound — a weight
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. march — the month
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. lie — to recline
  15. club — for dancing
  16. march — the month
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. race — a contest
  19. march — music
  20. race — humankind
  21. club — a group
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cell — in a prison

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