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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. court — of a king
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. last — to go on
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. court — of law
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. last — final
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bass — low music
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. court — for sport
  22. last — finally
  23. bass — the fish
  24. craft — a skill

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