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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rash — a series
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wax — to grow
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. board — a committee
  14. rash — hasty
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. net — after costs
  18. chair — a leader
  19. board — to get on
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wake — before a funeral

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