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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. face — to point toward
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stock — goods
  8. charge — electricity
  9. face — to confront
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wax — to grow
  12. fine — all right
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. charge — in control
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. face — part of the head
  24. charge — a price

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