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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. file — a line of people
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. toast — bread
  8. present — there
  9. rash — hasty
  10. file — a tool
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. present — a gift
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. ball — a dance
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. ball — a great time
  22. file — a document
  23. present — the time now
  24. rash — a series

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