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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. board — a committee
  3. chip — for betting
  4. lie — to recline
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wax — to grow
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. board — to get on
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. clip — for paper
  14. fine — all right
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pit — a hole
  18. clip — a video
  19. chip — to eat
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pit — in a race
  24. clip — to cut

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