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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. chest — of your body
  3. last — finally
  4. net — after costs
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. last — final
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. chest — a box
  10. ball — a dance
  11. lie — to recline
  12. band — a ring
  13. ball — a great time
  14. mug — a face
  15. band — a music group
  16. net — in sport
  17. last — to go on
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wax — to grow
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mug — a cup
  23. chest — of your body
  24. lie — an untruth

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