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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. land — to come down
  4. game — a match
  5. saw — the tool
  6. season — in sport
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. season — of the year
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bore — to drill
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bore — to tire
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bay — a horse colour

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