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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 is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ball — a dance
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. ball — a great time
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. season — of the year
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. season — in sport
  14. wax — to grow
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. date — the fruit

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