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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 · mark · roll · kid · pop · arm · race

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. pop — soda
  3. mark — a grade
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pound — a weight
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. kid — child
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. roll — a list
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pop — music
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. roll — a cake
  23. pop — to visit
  24. race — humankind

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