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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. file — a tool
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. foot — a measure
  8. scale — in music
  9. file — a document
  10. scale — size or range
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. deal — to handle
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. file — a line of people
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. chip — to eat
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — the bottom

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