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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 116 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. firm — steady
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cue — for pool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. charge — in control
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. firm — decided
  15. bass — low music
  16. fall — the season
  17. charge — a price
  18. game — a match
  19. cue — a signal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bark — to shout
  22. firm — a company
  23. fall — to drop
  24. charge — electricity

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