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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 covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fine — all right
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bound — tied together
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. swing — music
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cell — a phone
  12. swing — to play on
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. swing — in golf
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bound — certain
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ground — a position
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cell — in biology

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