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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. face — to point toward
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cue — a hint
  6. club — a group
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cue — for pool
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cue — a signal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. face — to confront
  15. dip — to sink
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. face — part of the head
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. wax — to grow
  24. club — for golf

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