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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wax — to grow
  5. net — in sport
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pit — in a race
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rest — a break
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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