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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wax — to grow
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. rule — government
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. last — final
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — a hat
  18. fork — in a road
  19. last — to go on
  20. pass — a permit
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rule — a law
  24. last — finally

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