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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 116 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. stand — to bear
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rest — a break
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. board — to get on
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ball — a great time
  16. game — a match
  17. row — a line
  18. board — a committee
  19. scale — in music
  20. ball — a dance
  21. scale — size or range
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. row — to paddle
  24. game — wild animals

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