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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — a match
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mine — for digging
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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