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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stock — goods
  3. chip — to eat
  4. season — of the year
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bass — low music
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rest — what's left
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bass — the fish
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. chip — for betting
  20. stock — shares
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rest — a break
  24. season — in sport

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