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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. season — in sport
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. track — to keep track
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cue — a hint
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. season — of the year
  9. cue — a signal
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. kid — child
  14. cue — for pool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. track — a song
  17. ball — a great time
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. track — a path
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wax — to grow
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wax — for sculpting

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