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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. object — an aim
  12. wax — to grow
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. object — to protest
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mate — a friend
  23. game — a match
  24. wake — before a funeral

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