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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mate — a friend
  3. rash — a series
  4. wax — to grow
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. season — in sport
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mate — to breed
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. shower — rain
  17. season — of the year
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rest — a break
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. shower — to wash
  22. plane — a tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wax — for sculpting

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