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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. net — in sport
  6. drill — a practice
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bound — certain
  9. ball — a dance
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. net — after costs
  13. wax — to grow
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bound — tied together
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. net — for catching
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. drill — army training

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