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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rash — a series
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. band — a ring
  6. club — for dancing
  7. dip — to sink
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. rash — hasty
  11. kick — in football
  12. club — a group
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. board — to get on
  16. game — a match
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. game — wild animals
  19. band — a music group
  20. club — for golf
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. kick — a thrill

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