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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. file — a document
  5. land — a country
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. file — a tool
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. court — for sport
  10. file — a line of people
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. land — ground
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. court — of law
  17. craft — boats
  18. land — to come down
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. court — of a king
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. craft — a skill

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