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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.

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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. rest — a break
  7. rash — a series
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. spell — magic
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wax — to grow
  13. spell — letters
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rash — hasty
  17. ball — a dance
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. mate — to breed
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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