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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. tube — the underground
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bass — the fish
  8. face — to confront
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wax — to grow
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. bass — low music
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. tube — a container
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mark — a grade
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. mark — a trace
  24. racket — for tennis

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