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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fine — high quality
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. spell — letters
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fine — all right
  17. spell — magic
  18. rush — hurry
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. temple — a place of worship

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