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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mine — for digging
  3. file — a line of people
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. ball — a dance
  7. file — a tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. file — a document
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stock — goods
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mug — to rob
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. stock — shares
  19. mug — a face
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wax — to grow
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. arm — part of the body

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