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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pit — a hole
  4. board — to get on
  5. fall — the season
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wax — to grow
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. deal — to handle
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. fall — to drop
  19. board — a committee
  20. rest — a break
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pit — in a race

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