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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. net — after costs
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wax — to grow
  14. court — of a king
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. bore — to drill
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. file — a tool
  22. net — in sport
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. wax — for sculpting

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