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

Word bank: field · pop · game · kid · rule · rest · pound · stick

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. field — a subject
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. game — a match
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. rest — what's left
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rest — a break
  10. field — for sport
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rule — a law
  13. pop — music
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. field — farmland
  22. pop — soda
  23. rule — government
  24. pop — to visit

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