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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. kid — to tease
  6. charge — a price
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. game — wild animals
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. prune — to trim
  15. charge — electricity
  16. pound — a weight
  17. chip — for betting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. kid — child
  20. pop — soda
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. charge — in control
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. prune — the fruit

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