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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. suit — in cards
  3. rule — government
  4. suit — to fit
  5. rule — a law
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. suit — clothes
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mark — a trace
  15. craft — boats
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. foot — a measure
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. mark — a grade
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. toast — bread
  24. cold — an illness

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