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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. pit — in a race
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lean — thin
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. pit — a hole
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. file — a tool
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lean — to bend
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. net — after costs
  20. last — to go on
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. file — a document
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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