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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fine — all right
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. last — final
  8. fine — high quality
  9. shower — rain
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. last — finally
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cue — for pool
  14. last — to go on
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wax — to grow
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cue — a signal
  24. sharp — exactly

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