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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rule — government
  4. wound — an injury
  5. game — wild animals
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — the underground
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. tube — a container
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. kid — to tease
  14. mug — a face
  15. kid — child
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rule — a law

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