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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. suit — clothes
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wax — to grow
  5. suit — in cards
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. net — for catching
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. drill — the tool
  13. board — a committee
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. drill — army training
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. board — to get on
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. suit — to fit
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. capital — money
  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