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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. craft — a skill
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bound — obliged
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bound — certain
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. ball — a great time
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bound — tied together
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cue — a hint
  18. season — in sport
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pitch — completely
  24. craft — boats

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