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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. rule — a law
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rule — government
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wax — to grow
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. file — a document
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. file — a tool
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — in a road

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