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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. file — a line of people
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. plane — a tool
  6. lie — to recline
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. chest — of your body
  10. file — a document
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. chest — a box
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bat — the animal
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. file — a tool
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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