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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. march — music
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. charge — electricity
  5. march — the month
  6. net — after costs
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. charge — in control
  9. ball — a dance
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chest — of your body
  13. net — in sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. net — for catching
  16. lie — to recline
  17. march — the month
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chest — a box
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. charge — a price
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wax — in the ear

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