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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  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. bat — the animal
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stock — shares
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wind — moving air
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mine — for digging
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. stock — goods
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a trace
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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