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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. game — wild animals
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pound — a weight
  7. swing — to play on
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. cue — a signal
  12. swing — music
  13. bound — certain
  14. swing — in golf
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rule — government
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. rule — a law
  21. cue — for pool
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cue — a hint

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