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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. season — in sport
  9. can — to be able to
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ball — a great time
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cold — not warm
  14. can — a tin
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. ball — a dance
  19. can — a tin
  20. cold — an illness
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. season — of the year

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