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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. season — of the year
  4. capital — money
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. capital — a city
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. file — a line of people
  9. roll — a list
  10. file — a tool
  11. roll — a cake
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lie — to recline
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. season — in sport
  21. row — a line
  22. file — a document
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wax — to grow

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