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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. ball — a dance
  7. last — to go on
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bulb — for light
  10. last — finally
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. rush — hurry
  13. last — final
  14. wax — to grow
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bulb — for light
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. safe — out of danger

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