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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rock — a stone
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — steady
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. firm — decided
  11. chest — a box
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. season — of the year
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. season — in sport
  24. wake — a trail

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