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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. kid — child
  3. degree — an amount
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. fine — all right
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. lie — to recline
  11. kid — to tease
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. charge — electricity
  14. degree — temperature
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bank — for money
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bank — of a river
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bank — for money
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — in control
  24. wax — in the ear

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