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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. file — a tool
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. face — to confront
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. season — of the year
  10. row — a line
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — rain
  13. row — to paddle
  14. shower — to wash
  15. face — part of the head
  16. season — in sport
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. file — a document
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. face — to point toward
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wax — to grow
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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