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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wake — a trail
  7. net — after costs
  8. bat — the animal
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. net — for catching
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. degree — from a university
  20. chip — for betting
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wax — to grow
  24. net — in sport

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