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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wax — to grow
  3. ball — a great time
  4. kick — in football
  5. spell — magic
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wound — an injury
  10. land — to come down
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wound — an injury
  13. land — ground
  14. land — a country
  15. mark — a trace
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mark — a grade
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. ball — a round shape

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