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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. stock — goods
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pass — a permit
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. shower — rain
  19. fine — all right
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wax — in the ear

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