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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. wax — to grow
  3. chip — for betting
  4. kid — child
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. track — a song
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. track — a path
  16. chip — to eat
  17. ground — a position
  18. track — to keep track
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. ball — a great time
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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