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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  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 — a kind of play
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. net — in sport
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. club — for dancing
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. game — wild animals
  9. snap — to click
  10. game — a match
  11. shower — rain
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. net — after costs
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. club — for golf
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. shower — to wash
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rush — hurry
  20. net — for catching
  21. club — a group
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rush — a thrill
  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