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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. game — wild animals
  8. track — a path
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. hand — help
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. track — to keep track
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. track — a song
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. hand — in cards

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