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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wax — to grow
  4. drill — army training
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. chip — for betting
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ball — a dance
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. game — a match
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape

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