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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. land — ground
  3. bear — the animal
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. land — to come down
  6. rule — government
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. dip — to sink
  9. rule — a law
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rash — hasty
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bear — the animal
  17. land — a country
  18. game — a match
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. rash — a series
  22. pound — a weight
  23. game — wild animals
  24. jam — a tight spot

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