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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. object — to protest
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fine — high quality
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pit — in a race
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. object — a thing
  13. wax — to grow
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. object — an aim
  17. tube — a container
  18. pit — a hole
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. kick — in football
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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