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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. board — a committee
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rash — a series
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. board — to get on
  14. game — a match
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. game — wild animals
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rash — hasty
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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