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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — a law
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. game — wild animals
  8. date — the fruit
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. mug — a face
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mug — to rob
  22. ball — a great time
  23. game — a match
  24. mug — a cup

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