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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. game — a match
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. scale — in music
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wax — to grow
  10. race — humankind
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. scale — size or range
  13. race — a contest
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mug — a face
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. mug — a cup
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. mug — to rob
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pound — for dogs

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