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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wax — to grow
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. pop — music
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. last — to go on
  10. band — a music group
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pop — to visit
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pop — soda
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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