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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. last — to go on
  3. ball — a dance
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. net — after costs
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. last — finally
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. prune — to trim
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — in sport
  13. ball — a great time
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. foot — a measure
  23. last — final
  24. wax — to grow

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