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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. squash — the sport
  6. march — the month
  7. snap — to click
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. squash — to crush
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. season — of the year
  16. march — music
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. ball — a great time
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. season — in sport
  24. ball — a dance

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