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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — there
  8. scale — in music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rule — government
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rule — a law
  14. wax — to grow
  15. present — the time now
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — a thing
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. scale — size or range

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