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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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. cold — the Cold War
  4. pound — a weight
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cold — an illness
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. cue — for pool
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cue — a signal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. cue — a hint
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cold — not warm

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