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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 120 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 · tube · deal · suit · race · scale · saw · chest

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. suit — in cards
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. suit — clothes
  5. chest — of your body
  6. suit — to fit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. deal — to handle
  9. chest — of your body
  10. scale — size or range
  11. race — the arms race
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. race — a contest
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. race — humankind
  20. scale — in music
  21. chest — a box
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. scale — for weighing

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