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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. mark — a trace
  3. season — in sport
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. mark — a grade
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. suit — in cards
  11. suit — clothes
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stock — shares
  14. season — of the year
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. ball — a dance
  20. stock — goods
  21. wind — moving air
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ball — a great time
  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