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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 116 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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. club — for golf
  4. capital — money
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. suit — in cards
  7. club — for dancing
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pit — in a race
  10. snap — to click
  11. suit — to fit
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wound — an injury
  16. suit — clothes
  17. pit — a hole
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. club — a group
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. capital — a city
  23. wound — an injury
  24. capital — a big letter

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