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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. net — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wax — to grow
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. scale — size or range
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. season — of the year
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. season — in sport

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