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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. chest — a box
  5. content — the amount
  6. degree — an amount
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. degree — temperature
  12. content — happy
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wax — to grow
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. degree — from a university
  23. chest — of your body
  24. leaves — of a tree

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