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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rule — government
  5. content — happy
  6. fork — in a road
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. firm — decided
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. net — for catching
  12. content — the amount
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. capital — a city
  15. rule — a law
  16. firm — a company
  17. net — in sport
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. capital — money
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. net — after costs
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. firm — steady

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