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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 120 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ground — the earth
  3. row — a line
  4. club — for golf
  5. row — to paddle
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. staff — employees
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. club — for dancing
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wax — to grow
  15. ground — crushed
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. club — a group
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fine — all right
  22. ground — a position
  23. staff — employees
  24. fine — high quality

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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