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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. net — for catching
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wax — to grow
  11. object — to protest
  12. file — a document
  13. pass — a permit
  14. net — in sport
  15. file — a tool
  16. object — an aim
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. sharp — clever
  21. net — after costs
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. fine — high quality
  24. object — a thing

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