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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bark — to shout
  3. firm — steady
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. wind — moving air
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. firm — a company
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pop — music
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. firm — decided
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. game — a match
  24. nail — on a finger

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