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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. rock — a stone
  3. perch — the fish
  4. track — a song
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. saw — the tool
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pitch — completely
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. track — a path
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rock — music
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. ball — a great time
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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