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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. game — a match
  4. cap — of ice
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. row — a line
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. scale — in music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. wax — to grow
  17. scale — size or range
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cap — a lid
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cap — a hat
  22. ball — a great time
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. ball — a round shape

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