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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bat — the animal
  9. kid — child
  10. saw — the tool
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. stock — goods
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kid — to tease
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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