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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. mate — to breed
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. saw — the tool
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. net — for catching
  17. wax — to grow
  18. board — to get on
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. board — a committee
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spell — letters
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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