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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — a match
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bound — certain
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bark — to shout
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. game — wild animals
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. row — to paddle
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. row — a line
  21. bound — obliged
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pop — music

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