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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. charge — a price
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. hand — help
  9. lie — to recline
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. charge — electricity
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. spell — letters
  15. game — wild animals
  16. charge — in control
  17. game — a match
  18. wax — to grow
  19. spell — a short time
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. spell — magic
  22. hand — in cards
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. lie — an untruth

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