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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wax — to grow
  10. game — wild animals
  11. net — after costs
  12. rock — music
  13. rush — hurry
  14. net — for catching
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. game — a match
  18. clip — a video
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. clip — for paper
  24. net — in sport

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