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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. foot — a measure
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. board — to get on
  8. ball — a great time
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pop — to visit
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pop — soda
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fork — in a road
  17. hand — help
  18. ball — a dance
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wax — to grow
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pop — music
  23. degree — temperature
  24. board — a committee

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