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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cap — a hat
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. wax — to grow
  7. game — a match
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. last — to go on
  18. bass — low music
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. game — wild animals
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. stand — to bear

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