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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. spring — the season
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. drill — a practice
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ball — a great time
  14. wax — to grow
  15. spring — of water
  16. kid — child
  17. ball — a dance
  18. toast — bread
  19. drill — army training
  20. kid — to tease
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. drill — the tool
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pass — to succeed

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