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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. wax — to grow
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. game — wild animals
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mate — to breed
  18. game — a match
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. mate — a partner
  24. leaves — to go away

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