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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: race · pop · pound · last · racket · chair · mug · pit

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pop — soda
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — in a race
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pop — to visit
  10. race — humankind
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mug — to rob
  13. pop — music
  14. last — to go on
  15. mug — a cup
  16. race — a contest
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. last — finally
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. chair — a leader
  24. last — final

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