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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rest — what's left
  3. suit — to fit
  4. rest — a break
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. spell — magic
  8. suit — in cards
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cold — not warm
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rest — what's left
  22. spell — letters
  23. suit — clothes
  24. ball — a dance

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