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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ground — the earth
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. staff — employees
  11. march — the month
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. march — the month
  15. ground — a position
  16. staff — employees
  17. ground — crushed
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bear — the animal
  20. swing — music
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bear — the animal
  24. march — music

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