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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. content — happy
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. content — the amount
  14. mug — to rob
  15. ground — the earth
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. deal — to handle
  21. ground — a position
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. mug — a face

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