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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 120 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: chest · last · rule · track · fall · temple · wax · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chest — of your body
  4. track — a path
  5. wax — to grow
  6. last — final
  7. chest — a box
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. last — finally
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rule — a law
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fall — the season
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rule — government
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. last — to go on

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