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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. ball — a dance
  4. field — for sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. scale — in music
  11. field — farmland
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. snap — to click
  17. field — a subject
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. ball — a great time
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wax — to grow
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. wax — in the ear

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