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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. chest — of your body
  5. current — happening now
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. row — a line
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. row — to paddle
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stand — to bear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. current — electric
  21. chest — a box
  22. wax — to grow
  23. current — of water
  24. stand — on your feet

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