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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. spell — a short time
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. spell — letters
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. spell — magic
  11. chip — for betting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pound — a weight
  14. saw — the tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chip — to eat
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. game — a match
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. prune — to trim

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