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

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rash — a series
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. charge — a price
  6. date — the fruit
  7. stand — to bear
  8. degree — an amount
  9. spring — a coil
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. charge — electricity
  12. game — wild animals
  13. degree — temperature
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rash — hasty
  16. spring — the season
  17. charge — in control
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wax — to grow
  22. spring — of water
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. game — a match

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