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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. fine — high quality
  7. kick — in football
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fine — all right
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. file — a tool
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. wax — to grow
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. fine — a penalty

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