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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stock — shares
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. scale — in music
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stock — goods
  12. file — a document
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. file — a tool
  23. kick — in football
  24. mouse — the animal

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