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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rush — hurry
  5. board — a committee
  6. face — to confront
  7. spell — a short time
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. spell — magic
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. spell — letters
  21. face — part of the head
  22. board — to get on
  23. wax — to grow
  24. board — a flat piece

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