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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pitch — completely
  13. kid — child
  14. perch — the fish
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. scale — in music
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a dance

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