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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. mug — to rob
  4. board — to get on
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mug — a cup
  7. board — a committee
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. file — a tool
  13. press — to push
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. mug — a face
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. file — a document
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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