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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 120 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. squash — the sport
  5. last — finally
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. saw — the tool
  8. staff — a stick
  9. last — final
  10. pop — to visit
  11. staff — employees
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pop — music
  16. wax — to grow
  17. rule — government
  18. pop — soda
  19. saw — the tool
  20. last — to go on
  21. rush — hurry
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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