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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. face — to point toward
  4. ball — a dance
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. face — to confront
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fork — in a road
  10. net — for catching
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. land — to come down
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wax — to grow
  17. face — part of the head
  18. land — ground
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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