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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. pit — in a race
  3. wax — to grow
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. key — in music
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mark — a grade
  11. fine — all right
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mark — a trace
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. roll — a cake
  19. drill — army training
  20. roll — a list
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wax — for sculpting

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