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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 116 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 words: he'll be late again.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. spell — magic
  4. pop — music
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. net — for catching
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. net — after costs
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — decided
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pop — soda
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pop — to visit
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. firm — steady
  24. net — in sport

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