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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. present — there
  4. season — of the year
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. rule — a law
  10. cell — in biology
  11. object — an aim
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — government
  14. cell — a phone
  15. present — the time now
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. season — in sport
  20. object — to protest
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. present — a gift

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