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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wax — to grow
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. net — in sport
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. net — for catching
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. squash — the sport
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. net — after costs
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. sharp — clever
  24. 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