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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mug — to rob
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wax — to grow
  6. sharp — clever
  7. staff — employees
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. staff — employees
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — a face
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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