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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. ball — a dance
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. craft — boats
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. row — a line
  20. track — a path
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. ball — a great time

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