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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rock — music
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. lean — to bend
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fine — all right
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lean — thin
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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