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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. can — a tin
  4. club — for dancing
  5. ground — a position
  6. wax — to grow
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. club — a group
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. can — to be able to
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. saw — the tool
  17. club — for golf
  18. can — a tin
  19. date — the fruit
  20. saw — the tool
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. ground — the earth

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