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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. lie — to recline
  3. stock — shares
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. stock — goods
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — to rob
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. fine — all right

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