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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. club — for dancing
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. kid — to tease
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. file — a document
  10. suit — clothes
  11. wax — to grow
  12. kid — child
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pop — to visit
  17. club — for golf
  18. file — a tool
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. club — a group
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. suit — to fit

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