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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mark — a trace
  3. spring — of water
  4. march — music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. content — happy
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rest — what's left
  10. content — the amount
  11. wax — to grow
  12. race — a contest
  13. rest — what's left
  14. spring — the season
  15. race — the arms race
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. rest — a break
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. race — humankind
  22. march — the month
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. march — the month

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