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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. face — to point toward
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. season — of the year
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. face — part of the head
  15. ground — the earth
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pop — music
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. face — to confront
  24. ground — a position

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