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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. face — to confront
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. last — to go on
  13. face — to point toward
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. last — finally
  17. wax — to grow
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a city
  20. wake — a trail
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. face — part of the head

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