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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 116 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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. craft — a skill
  7. game — a match
  8. chair — a leader
  9. craft — boats
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ground — a position
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wax — to grow
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. lean — to bend
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. mark — a trace
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. mark — a grade
  24. court — of law

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