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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · mate · file · wax · bay · scale · drill · lie

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. game — a match
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mate — to breed
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. drill — a practice
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. file — a tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. mate — a friend
  18. file — a document
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. file — a line of people
  24. scale — in music

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