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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. rule — a law
  4. wax — to grow
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. stock — shares
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rule — government
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stock — goods
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — all right
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mate — to breed
  24. rule — to rule out

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