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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mate — to breed
  8. game — a match
  9. ball — a dance
  10. board — to get on
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fall — the season
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mate — a partner
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. board — a committee

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