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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. land — a country
  3. firm — steady
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. swing — in golf
  8. rock — music
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rock — a stone
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wax — to grow
  13. game — wild animals
  14. land — ground
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. land — to come down
  19. swing — to play on
  20. firm — a company
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. swing — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. firm — decided

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