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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. row — to paddle
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wake — a trail
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. roll — a list
  14. bark — to shout
  15. dip — to sink
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wax — to grow
  18. ball — a great time
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. row — a line
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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