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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 120 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 is an ace ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wax — to grow
  4. chest — a box
  5. present — the time now
  6. season — in sport
  7. chip — to eat
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. present — there
  12. ball — a great time
  13. present — a gift
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chest — of your body
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. season — of the year

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