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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. march — the month
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. march — music
  6. last — finally
  7. plane — a tool
  8. mate — a friend
  9. last — final
  10. capital — money
  11. rest — what's left
  12. last — to go on
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. capital — a city
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. march — the month
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rest — what's left
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mate — a partner

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