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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. game — a match
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. rush — hurry
  8. game — wild animals
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. foot — a measure
  12. deal — to handle
  13. fall — to drop
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fall — the season
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bat — the animal
  24. rush — a thrill

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