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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: cold · mark · pound · race · pass · bound · bay · foot

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cold — not warm
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pass — a permit
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. mark — a grade
  15. race — a contest
  16. pound — a weight
  17. race — humankind
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. cold — an illness
  23. race — the arms race
  24. foot — a measure

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