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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. game — a match
  4. wax — to grow
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — a gift
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. swing — music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lie — to recline
  14. game — wild animals
  15. swing — in golf
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. present — there
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. jam — in traffic

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