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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. snap — to click
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. row — to paddle
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. land — to come down
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. row — a line
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wax — to grow
  21. land — a country
  22. last — final
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. land — ground

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