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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wax — to grow
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. file — a document
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. capital — a city
  9. current — happening now
  10. file — a line of people
  11. content — happy
  12. file — a tool
  13. capital — money
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. current — electric
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. current — of water
  20. content — the amount
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. craft — a skill
  23. toast — bread
  24. capital — a big letter

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