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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mate — a partner
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pit — a hole
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. club — a group
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. club — for golf
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pit — in a race
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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