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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · cabinet · kid · mine · game · wax · track · rule

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. kid — child
  7. rule — a law
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rule — government
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. track — a path
  12. current — happening now
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. current — electric
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. current — of water
  18. game — wild animals
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wax — to grow
  21. track — a song
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. kid — to tease

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