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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wake — a trail
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bore — to tire
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bore — to drill
  24. cold — the Cold War

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