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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. ground — the earth
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rule — government
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. ground — a position
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. game — wild animals
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pound — a weight
  20. snap — to click
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rule — a law

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