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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. hand — help
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. snap — to click
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fall — to drop
  15. craft — boats
  16. wound — an injury
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. craft — a handicraft

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