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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. ball — a great time
  5. march — the month
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pitch — completely
  8. field — a subject
  9. spring — a coil
  10. kick — in football
  11. field — farmland
  12. spring — the season
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. field — for sport
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. spring — of water
  18. march — music
  19. wax — to grow
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. march — the month
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. mug — to rob

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