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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 116 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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wax — to grow
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pit — in a race
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. sharp — clever
  11. swing — music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wind — moving air
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fine — all right
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wind — to turn a key

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