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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. wax — to grow
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pop — music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pop — soda
  12. mark — a grade
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pop — to visit
  15. fine — high quality
  16. foot — a measure
  17. fine — all right
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. tear — from crying

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