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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. suit — clothes
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pop — music
  8. game — a match
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pop — to visit
  11. game — wild animals
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. suit — to fit
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. suit — in cards
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pound — a weight
  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