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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. snap — to click
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stock — shares
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. fine — high quality
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. fine — all right
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bowl — a dish

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