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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wax — to grow
  11. season — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. season — of the year
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — of the sea

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