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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rock — music
  4. wax — to grow
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stock — goods
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. lie — to recline
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. capital — a city
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. deal — to handle
  22. rock — a stone
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. capital — money

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