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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. suit — in cards
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. charge — a price
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. charge — in control
  9. game — a match
  10. suit — to fit
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cell — in biology
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bear — the animal
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pound — a weight
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. trunk — of a tree

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