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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. craft — boats
  4. present — the time now
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. scale — in music
  10. fall — to drop
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fall — the season
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fall — to drop
  17. present — a gift
  18. game — wild animals
  19. craft — a skill
  20. wax — to grow
  21. present — there
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — a cake
  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