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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mark — a trace
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. mark — a grade
  11. file — a document
  12. game — a match
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. season — of the year
  16. wax — to grow
  17. season — in sport
  18. file — a tool
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — to eat
  21. toast — bread
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. file — a line of people

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