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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. staff — employees
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. current — electric
  5. rash — hasty
  6. ball — a great time
  7. deal — to handle
  8. staff — employees
  9. rash — a series
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. current — of water
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wax — to grow
  20. staff — a stick
  21. current — happening now
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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