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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. capital — money
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. suit — clothes
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ball — a great time
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. stock — shares
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. clip — a video
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. ball — a dance
  16. stock — goods
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. capital — a city
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. plane — a tool

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