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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. current — of water
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. last — finally
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. capital — a city
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. capital — money
  12. current — electric
  13. last — final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. wax — to grow
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. current — happening now
  18. capital — a big letter

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