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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. pop — music
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pop — to visit
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pop — soda
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. chip — to eat
  20. game — a match
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. fall — the season

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