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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pitch — completely
  5. game — wild animals
  6. race — humankind
  7. charge — in control
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. race — a contest
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. game — a match
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. charge — a price
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wax — to grow

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