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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bass — low music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. charge — a price
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. firm — a company
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. firm — steady
  14. fine — all right
  15. pit — a hole
  16. charge — electricity
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bass — the fish
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. charge — in control
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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