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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. game — a match
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bear — the animal
  11. ball — a dance
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wax — to grow
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wax — for sculpting

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