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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 120 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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. charge — in control
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wind — moving air
  10. net — for catching
  11. fine — all right
  12. hand — help
  13. suit — clothes
  14. charge — electricity
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. hand — in cards
  18. net — after costs
  19. charge — a price
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. suit — in cards
  22. fine — high quality
  23. suit — to fit
  24. net — 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