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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. squash — to crush
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. shower — rain
  10. squash — the sport
  11. stock — goods
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. stock — shares
  15. bound — certain
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bound — obliged
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. tube — the underground
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. game — a match
  24. hide — to keep secret

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