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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. squash — to crush
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. march — the month
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. deal — to handle
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. game — a match
  13. squash — the sport
  14. march — the month
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. march — music
  22. wax — to grow
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. deal — a big deal

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