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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. chip — to eat
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chip — for betting
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — to bear
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. stand — on your feet

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