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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · game · wind · bear · pound · pitcher · nail · stick

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. game — a match
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bear — the animal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wind — moving air
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ball — a dance
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pound — for dogs

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