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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mark — a trace
  6. spring — the season
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. fall — to drop
  10. game — a match
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — a cup
  15. fall — to drop
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. spring — of water
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. fall — the season
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. game — wild animals
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. spring — a coil

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