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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · game · bat · fall · wax · fine · toast · current

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fine — all right
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fall — the season
  6. current — of water
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. game — a match
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. fall — to drop
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. toast — bread
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. current — electric
  21. bat — the animal
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. current — happening now

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