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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. sharp — clever
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. drill — army training
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. drill — a practice
  12. march — the month
  13. wound — an injury
  14. season — in sport
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. season — of the year
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wound — an injury
  24. sharp — with an edge

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