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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wax — to grow
  7. board — to get on
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pit — in a race
  16. cold — not warm
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. board — a committee
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bowl — a dish

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