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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rock — a stone
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. game — a match
  5. march — the month
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. march — music
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wax — to grow
  12. file — a tool
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — music
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. file — a document
  19. stem — to come from
  20. march — the month
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. file — a line of people
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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