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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cue — a signal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. game — wild animals
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. drill — the tool
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. game — a match
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wound — an injury
  21. drill — army training
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chair — to sit on

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