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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. march — the month
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. mine — for digging
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pit — in a race
  24. mine — an explosive

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