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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. pit — a hole
  2. club — a group
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. club — for golf
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pit — in a race
  9. club — for dancing
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wax — to grow
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. squash — the sport
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. plane — a tool
  17. squash — to crush
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. shower — rain
  20. deal — to handle
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. chair — a leader
  23. shower — to wash
  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