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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wax — to grow
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — to eat
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. club — a group
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. object — an aim
  14. field — for sport
  15. club — for golf
  16. field — a subject
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. object — to protest
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. field — farmland
  22. object — a thing
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — a permit

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