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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pit — in a race
  5. toast — bread
  6. wax — to grow
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. degree — an amount
  11. stock — shares
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. stock — goods
  15. degree — temperature
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. pit — a hole
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fork — in a road
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. stock — a soup base

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