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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. stock — goods
  3. game — wild animals
  4. present — there
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rule — a law
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pop — soda
  9. present — the time now
  10. pop — music
  11. game — a match
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rule — government
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stock — shares
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. present — a gift
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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