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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 120 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. ground — a position
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bound — certain
  11. dip — to sink
  12. suit — in cards
  13. season — in sport
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bound — tied together
  16. suit — clothes
  17. season — of the year
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ground — crushed
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wave — with your hand

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