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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. face — part of the head
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mate — a partner
  13. scale — size or range
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stock — goods
  17. face — to point toward
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. scale — in music
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. face — to confront
  24. mate — a friend

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