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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · ball · bat · wax · net · roll · rule · date

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. wax — to grow
  3. net — for catching
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. board — to get on
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rule — a law
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. board — a committee
  10. ball — a dance
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. net — after costs
  13. roll — a list
  14. net — in sport
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. date — the fruit
  17. rule — government
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. roll — a cake

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