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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. last — finally
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. capital — money
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. capital — a city
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. last — to go on
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. roll — a list
  17. club — for dancing
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. last — final
  20. pass — a permit
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wax — to grow
  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