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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bank — for money
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stock — goods
  6. kick — in football
  7. last — to go on
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. stock — shares
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bank — for money
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wax — to grow
  16. ball — a dance
  17. last — final
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bank — of a river
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. sharp — exactly

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