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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitch — completely
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. ball — a dance
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. game — a kind of play

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