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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 124 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mate — a friend
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. file — a document
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. net — in sport
  9. file — a tool
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stand — to bear
  16. net — after costs
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. net — for catching
  20. mark — a trace
  21. season — of the year
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mate — to breed
  24. coach — a trainer

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