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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cap — of ice
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wax — to grow
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. season — in sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. kid — child
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. cap — a lid
  13. season — of the year
  14. squash — the sport
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. squash — to crush
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. game — a match
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cap — a hat
  24. kid — to tease

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