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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pit — in a race
  4. lie — to recline
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wax — to grow
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pass — a permit
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. snap — to click
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. hand — help
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ball — a dance
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ball — a great time
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pit — a hole

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