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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. key — for a lock
  4. file — a document
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wax — to grow
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rock — a stone
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rock — music
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. fine — all right
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. file — a tool
  22. key — in music
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. temple — a place of worship

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