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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. stock — goods
  3. row — a line
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rule — a law
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. snap — to click
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. stock — shares
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. ball — a dance
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. row — to paddle
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fine — high quality
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. fine — all right

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