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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. last — final
  3. object — to protest
  4. last — finally
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. suit — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. object — an aim
  10. hand — in cards
  11. march — the month
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. object — a thing
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. last — to go on
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. suit — to fit

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