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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. fine — all right
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. net — after costs
  6. pop — music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pop — soda
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fall — the season
  14. net — for catching
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. game — a match
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pop — to visit
  22. net — in sport
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wax — for sculpting

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