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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. row — to paddle
  6. game — wild animals
  7. roll — a cake
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cell — a phone
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. roll — a list
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cell — in biology
  20. row — a line
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mouse — the animal

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