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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. charge — a price
  6. game — a match
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. pit — in a race
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. scale — in music
  20. wax — to grow
  21. last — to go on
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. plane — in geometry

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