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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. net — after costs
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wax — to grow
  8. ball — a great time
  9. net — for catching
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. ball — a dance
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. squash — to crush
  19. net — in sport
  20. mug — a face
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wax — in the ear

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