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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. last — finally
  3. march — the month
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. last — to go on
  6. fine — high quality
  7. present — the time now
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. march — the month
  10. present — a gift
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. spell — magic
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wax — to grow
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. present — there
  19. face — to point toward
  20. last — final
  21. fine — all right
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. march — music
  24. spell — letters

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