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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mate — a friend
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mate — to breed
  7. stand — to bear
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. spring — the season
  18. charge — electricity
  19. spring — of water
  20. ground — crushed
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stand — on your feet

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