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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. fine — all right
  4. last — to go on
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. chest — a box
  8. last — finally
  9. pitch — completely
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. last — final
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chest — of your body

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