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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. fine — all right
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. row — a line
  15. shower — to wash
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. row — to paddle
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. suit — in cards
  21. fine — high quality
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. shower — rain

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