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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 116 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. net — after costs
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. net — in sport
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rest — a break
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mark — a grade
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wax — to grow
  17. net — for catching
  18. shower — rain
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mark — a trace
  24. row — a line

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