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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 120 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wax — to grow
  5. track — a song
  6. staff — employees
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. kick — in football
  10. staff — employees
  11. can — a tin
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. can — to be able to
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. can — a tin
  17. wound — an injury
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. shower — rain

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