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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. field — farmland
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. board — to get on
  9. wax — to grow
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. game — a match
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. perch — the fish
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. saw — the tool
  19. game — wild animals
  20. field — a subject
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. field — for sport
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. saw — the tool

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