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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. file — a tool
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. file — a document
  6. fine — all right
  7. bat — the animal
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pop — soda
  15. file — a line of people
  16. tube — a container
  17. pop — music
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bat — in an idiom

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