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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bark — to shout
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rush — hurry
  17. game — a match
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pop — music
  20. wax — to grow
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pop — soda

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