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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. lie — to recline
  5. club — a group
  6. net — for catching
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wax — to grow
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. season — in sport
  14. hand — in cards
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. net — in sport
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. season — of the year
  19. club — for golf
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. saw — the tool
  24. net — after costs

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