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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. net — for catching
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. field — for sport
  8. craft — boats
  9. ball — a great time
  10. field — a subject
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. field — farmland
  13. key — in music
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wax — to grow
  20. net — in sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. craft — a skill
  23. key — the most important part
  24. net — after costs

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