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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. net — for catching
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wax — to grow
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. net — after costs
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. net — in sport
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pound — for dogs

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