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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. scale — in music
  3. wax — to grow
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. object — an aim
  8. fine — high quality
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. object — to protest
  16. board — a committee
  17. fine — all right
  18. board — to get on
  19. object — a thing
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. sharp — clever
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wax — in the ear

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