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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stock — shares
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. tear — from crying
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. pit — a hole
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. kick — in football
  22. pit — in a race
  23. stock — goods
  24. fan — a supporter

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