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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. club — for golf
  6. season — in sport
  7. mate — a friend
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. club — a group
  11. board — to get on
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cold — not warm
  18. board — a committee
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. club — for dancing
  21. season — of the year
  22. stand — to bear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mate — a partner

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