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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. wax — to grow
  7. toast — bread
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. ball — a great time
  11. game — a match
  12. fine — high quality
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. shower — to wash
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. shower — rain
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. wax — for sculpting

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