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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wake — a trail
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. last — to go on
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. game — a match
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rule — a law
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. squash — to crush
  17. game — wild animals
  18. last — final
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rule — government
  22. last — finally
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wax — for sculpting

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