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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. foot — a measure
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fine — all right
  9. last — final
  10. wax — to grow
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. stock — shares
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stock — goods
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — finally
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. last — to go on
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. coach — a trainer

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