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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. hand — in cards
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. firm — steady
  17. fine — all right
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — decided
  20. content — happy
  21. hand — help
  22. wax — to grow
  23. content — the amount
  24. pit — a hole

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