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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. can — a tin
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wax — to grow
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pop — soda
  12. drill — army training
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. net — after costs
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. last — final
  18. can — to be able to
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pop — to visit

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