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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. roll — a list
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cold — an illness
  10. date — the fruit
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a cake
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wax — to grow
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wake — a trail
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. date — on the calendar

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