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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. court — for sport
  4. rash — a series
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. court — of law
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — in a race
  13. scale — in music
  14. ball — a great time
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rash — hasty
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. court — of a king
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wax — to grow
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pitch — a sports field

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