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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. drill — army training
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. net — in sport
  11. fine — all right
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. roll — a cake
  15. drill — the tool
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wax — to grow
  18. roll — a list
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. jam — a tight spot

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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