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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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. prune — the fruit
  4. track — a song
  5. can — a tin
  6. track — to keep track
  7. game — a match
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. cap — a hat
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. prune — to trim
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. track — a path
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. can — a tin
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. can — to be able to
  24. wax — to grow

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