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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 124 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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. season — of the year
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cue — for pool
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mark — a trace
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cue — a signal
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. game — a match

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