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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. object — a thing
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. stock — goods
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. object — an aim
  15. wax — to grow
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stock — shares
  20. sharp — clever
  21. kid — child
  22. rush — hurry
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. object — to protest

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