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

Word bank: jam · foot · mark · pound · staff · deal · sharp · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. deal — to handle
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. staff — employees
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pound — a weight
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mark — a grade
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. game — a match
  22. staff — employees
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — a measure

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