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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. can — to be able to
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. club — a group
  5. pass — a permit
  6. can — a tin
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. last — final
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. last — finally
  22. bark — to shout
  23. club — for golf
  24. can — a tin

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