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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ball — a great time
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wax — to grow
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. charge — a price
  15. sharp — clever
  16. file — a tool
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pitch — completely
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. stock — goods
  21. file — a document
  22. stock — shares
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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