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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wax — to grow
  3. net — for catching
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. capital — a city
  8. net — after costs
  9. march — the month
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. march — music
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. march — the month
  19. capital — money
  20. net — in sport
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. wake — a trail
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fine — high quality

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