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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rule — government
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. ball — a great time
  10. swing — music
  11. date — the fruit
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rule — a law
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. game — a match
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. swing — in golf

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