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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. drill — the tool
  6. wax — to grow
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. drill — army training
  13. kid — child
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. rush — hurry
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. kid — to tease
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. rush — to hurry

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