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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. last — final
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. key — in music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. toast — bread
  19. wax — to grow
  20. last — finally
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. last — to go on
  24. chest — of your body

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