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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.

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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rest — what's left
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. rest — a break
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. fan — a supporter

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