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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. last — to go on
  3. club — for dancing
  4. charge — electricity
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. last — final
  11. club — for golf
  12. mate — a partner
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. club — a group
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. ground — a position
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. ground — the earth
  23. last — finally
  24. saw — the tool

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