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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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a hole
  6. kid — child
  7. present — the time now
  8. degree — an amount
  9. suit — to fit
  10. kid — to tease
  11. suit — clothes
  12. present — a gift
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. object — a thing
  17. wax — to grow
  18. present — there
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — an aim
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. degree — temperature
  23. fork — in a road
  24. suit — in cards

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