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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. court — of a king
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fine — all right
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. court — of law
  14. pound — a weight
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. court — for sport
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. game — a match

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