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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. roll — a list
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. kid — child
  11. hand — help
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fine — high quality
  16. roll — a cake
  17. fine — all right
  18. kid — to tease
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hand — part of the body

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