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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. club — a group
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mate — a partner
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. march — the month
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. march — the month
  15. club — for golf
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. march — music
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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