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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. field — farmland
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. tear — to rip
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. field — for sport
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. last — final
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spell — magic
  18. field — a subject
  19. wax — to grow
  20. last — finally
  21. tear — from crying
  22. spell — letters
  23. last — to go on
  24. game — a match

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