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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. march — the month
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. march — music
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. mark — a trace
  23. perch — the fish
  24. march — the month

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