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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. mark — a grade
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. capital — money
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rock — music
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. row — a line
  16. capital — a city
  17. wake — a trail
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fine — all right
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. mark — a trace
  24. wax — in the ear

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