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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 120 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. season — in sport
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. season — of the year
  14. mark — a grade
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rash — hasty
  19. sharp — clever
  20. mark — a trace
  21. rash — a series
  22. wake — a trail
  23. ball — a dance
  24. wax — to grow

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