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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. march — music
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bound — certain
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bound — tied together
  9. hand — help
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. march — the month
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pit — in a race
  17. deal — to handle
  18. march — the month
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pit — a hole
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bound — obliged

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