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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. press — to push
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fine — high quality
  8. lie — to recline
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pop — music
  12. press — a publisher
  13. fall — to drop
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pop — soda
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fall — the season
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fine — all right
  24. wax — to grow

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