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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. ground — the earth
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ground — crushed
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. ground — a position
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wax — to grow
  24. fan — a supporter

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