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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. date — the fruit
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cue — for pool
  5. last — to go on
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mate — a partner
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wound — an injury
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. date — on the calendar

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