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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. game — wild animals
  3. hand — help
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bulb — for light
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bulb — for light
  12. land — a country
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. race — humankind
  15. wax — to grow
  16. scale — size or range
  17. hand — in cards
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. game — a match
  21. land — to come down
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. land — ground

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