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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rock — music
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wax — to grow
  5. present — there
  6. firm — a company
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fine — high quality
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. spell — letters
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. firm — decided
  17. rock — a stone
  18. degree — an amount
  19. present — the time now
  20. plane — a tool
  21. present — a gift
  22. spell — magic
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. firm — steady

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