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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 120 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bulb — for light
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bulb — for light
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. saw — the tool
  13. game — a match
  14. bound — certain
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cue — for pool

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