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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 116 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. land — ground
  5. sharp — clever
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cold — not warm
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. land — a country
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. land — to come down

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