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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pop — music
  4. file — a document
  5. ball — a dance
  6. wax — to grow
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. file — a tool
  13. hand — help
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. ball — a great time
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pop — soda
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pop — to visit

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