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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. ground — a position
  6. snap — to click
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. mate — a friend
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mate — a partner
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. ground — the earth
  23. row — a line
  24. ground — crushed

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