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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. club — for golf
  4. kick — in football
  5. wake — a trail
  6. tube — a container
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — a group
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. game — a match
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wax — to grow
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. game — wild animals
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. tube — the underground
  23. row — a line
  24. ruler — a monarch

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