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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ground — a position
  5. rule — government
  6. firm — steady
  7. wax — to grow
  8. ground — the earth
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. track — a song
  17. rule — a law
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. ground — crushed
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. firm — decided
  23. game — a match
  24. firm — a company

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