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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. last — finally
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mug — a face
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. land — to come down
  9. last — to go on
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mug — to rob
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. last — final
  17. mug — a cup
  18. wax — to grow
  19. land — ground
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. land — a country
  24. racket — a loud noise

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