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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. march — the month
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. court — for sport
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. march — the month
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. game — wild animals
  16. last — final
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. court — of law
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. march — music
  21. court — of a king
  22. stem — to come from
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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