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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pop — soda
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pop — to visit
  9. board — to get on
  10. pop — music
  11. game — wild animals
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. board — a committee
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wound — an injury
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. game — a match
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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