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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. drill — army training
  9. file — a tool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. drill — a practice
  12. file — a document
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. content — the amount
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. drill — the tool
  24. content — videos and posts

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