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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wind — moving air
  6. game — a match
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bat — the animal
  9. squash — the sport
  10. board — a committee
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pitch — completely
  15. game — wild animals
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. board — to get on
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wax — in the ear

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