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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bass — the fish
  3. net — for catching
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. net — after costs
  8. perch — the fish
  9. march — music
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ball — a great time
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bass — low music
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. net — in sport
  17. wax — to grow
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pit — a hole
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. march — the month
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. ball — a dance
  24. march — the month

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