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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. kid — child
  5. game — wild animals
  6. tube — a container
  7. suit — in cards
  8. degree — temperature
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. tube — the underground
  11. court — of a king
  12. suit — to fit
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. court — of law
  15. kid — to tease
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. degree — from a university
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. court — for sport
  22. degree — an amount
  23. game — a match
  24. pound — a weight

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