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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. last — to go on
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ball — a dance
  8. last — final
  9. ball — a great time
  10. last — finally
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pitch — completely
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. wax — in the ear

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