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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rest — what's left
  3. net — for catching
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fine — all right
  11. rest — a break
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wax — to grow
  18. net — in sport
  19. pit — a hole
  20. fine — high quality
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pit — in a race
  24. net — after costs

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