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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. game — wild animals
  4. squash — the sport
  5. game — a match
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. court — of a king
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. court — of law
  15. wound — an injury
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. court — for sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. game — a kind of play

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