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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cue — a signal
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chip — for betting
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. sharp — clever
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cue — for pool
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bear — the animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. chip — to eat

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