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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. charge — electricity
  4. game — a match
  5. lie — to recline
  6. wax — to grow
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. charge — a price
  14. mate — to breed
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. squash — the sport
  17. charge — in control
  18. board — a committee
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — a partner
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bark — to shout

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