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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 116 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: content · game · mine · cap · wax · ball · chair · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mine — for digging
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. game — wild animals
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — of ice
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cap — a hat
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wax — to grow
  20. game — a match
  21. content — the amount
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. ball — a great time
  24. content — happy

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