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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. last — finally
  8. rash — hasty
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rash — a series
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. last — to go on
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. ball — a dance
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. last — final
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. scale — in music

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