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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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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: jam · game · mug · cue · cold · club · pound · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pound — a weight
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. club — a group
  14. cold — not warm
  15. club — for golf
  16. rock — music
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — a cup
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. cue — a hint
  22. club — for dancing
  23. cue — for pool
  24. rock — a stone

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