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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. firm — decided
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. firm — a company
  5. drill — a practice
  6. hand — in cards
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wax — to grow
  10. deal — to handle
  11. drill — army training
  12. clip — for paper
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. staff — employees
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. firm — steady
  19. staff — employees
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. staff — a stick
  22. fine — all right
  23. drill — the tool
  24. hand — help

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