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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. scale — in music
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wax — to grow
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bat — the animal
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. club — for golf

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