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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. file — a tool
  8. field — farmland
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. saw — the tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. field — a subject
  15. wax — to grow
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. field — for sport
  19. bass — low music
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bass — the fish
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. chair — to sit on

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