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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. game — a match
  2. wax — to grow
  3. lean — to bend
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — in control
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. degree — from a university
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. lean — thin
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. row — to paddle
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. charge — electricity
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  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