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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pop — music
  4. rule — government
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. net — for catching
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rule — a law
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. net — in sport
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. pop — soda
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pop — to visit
  19. net — after costs
  20. pit — a hole
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. safe — out of danger
  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