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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chair — a leader
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cell — a phone
  16. tube — a container
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. ball — a great time
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wax — to grow
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cell — in biology

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