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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mine — for digging
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. squash — the sport
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. squash — to crush
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chair — a leader
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wax — to grow
  24. mine — belonging to me

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