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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. charge — electricity
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. kid — child
  6. tube — the underground
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bark — to shout
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pound — a weight
  13. charge — in control
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. kid — to tease
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. tube — a container
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. charge — a price
  23. game — a match
  24. wave — with your hand

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