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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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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. firm — decided
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. firm — steady
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rash — hasty
  12. net — in sport
  13. firm — a company
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rash — a series
  17. fine — all right
  18. date — the fruit

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