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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. capital — a city
  3. file — a document
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. wax — to grow
  9. file — a tool
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. game — wild animals
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. file — a line of people
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rash — a series
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. rash — hasty

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