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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. land — a country
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. land — ground
  5. rock — music
  6. land — to come down
  7. scale — size or range
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. drill — the tool
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. roll — a cake
  17. scale — in music
  18. roll — a list
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. rock — a stone
  24. wax — in the ear

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