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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. last — finally
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — a grade
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wax — to grow
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. last — to go on
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. last — final
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. hand — help
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wax — in the ear
  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