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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. game — a match
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. tube — the underground
  8. sharp — clever
  9. current — electric
  10. mate — a partner
  11. tube — a container
  12. wax — to grow
  13. current — happening now
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mate — to breed
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. current — of water
  21. mate — a friend
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. game — a kind of play

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