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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 120 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. chair — a leader
  3. track — a song
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. kid — child
  10. rest — a break
  11. game — a match
  12. track — a path
  13. stand — to bear
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. kid — to tease
  20. track — to keep track
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. rest — what's left
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wax — to grow

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