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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wax — to grow
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bound — tied together
  9. game — wild animals
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bound — certain
  16. season — in sport
  17. fine — high quality
  18. season — of the year
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. game — a match
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fine — all right

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