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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 120 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. file — a tool
  3. club — for golf
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. dip — to sink
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. net — after costs
  9. firm — decided
  10. club — a group
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. file — a line of people
  13. net — in sport
  14. wax — to grow
  15. board — a committee
  16. snap — to click
  17. board — to get on
  18. club — for dancing
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. firm — steady
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. firm — a company
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. file — a document

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