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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. firm — decided
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. kick — in football
  6. bound — tied together
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. lean — to bend
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. firm — a company
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lean — thin
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. firm — steady
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wax — to grow
  23. game — a match
  24. straw — dry grass

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