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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. drill — the tool
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bat — the animal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. game — a match
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pass — a permit
  24. wax — to grow

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