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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. band — a music group
  3. net — for catching
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. last — to go on
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wax — to grow
  10. net — after costs
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. last — finally
  14. rule — a law
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. net — in sport
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. rule — government
  21. band — a ring
  22. rush — hurry
  23. kid — child
  24. last — final

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