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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. last — finally
  4. wax — to grow
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. board — to get on
  8. last — to go on
  9. wake — a trail
  10. last — final
  11. suit — to fit
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. suit — clothes
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. board — a committee
  22. fine — all right
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. suit — in cards

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