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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 116 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. ball — a dance
  9. chair — a leader
  10. track — a path
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. track — a song
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. track — to keep track
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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