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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. game — wild animals
  7. file — a tool
  8. game — a match
  9. file — a document
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — a tool
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stock — shares
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. rule — a law
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. plane — in geometry

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