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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. ground — a position
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. date — the fruit
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pass — a permit
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ground — crushed
  23. chest — of your body
  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