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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. present — a gift
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. race — humankind
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. race — the arms race
  10. present — the time now
  11. face — to confront
  12. fine — all right
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. game — a match
  16. race — a contest
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rash — a series
  19. wax — to grow
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. present — there
  24. fine — high quality

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