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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. hand — in cards
  5. clip — for paper
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wax — to grow
  12. key — for a lock
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fork — in a road
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. key — in music
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. clip — a video
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. hand — help
  24. calf — a young animal

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