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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. game — a match
  3. court — of law
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. swing — music
  9. mate — a friend
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. bear — the animal
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mate — to breed
  24. swing — in golf

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