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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. spell — letters
  3. bat — the animal
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. spell — a short time
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. can — to be able to
  22. spell — magic
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. coach — a trainer

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