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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. drill — army training
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. wax — to grow
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. sharp — clever
  13. toast — bread
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bulb — for light
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bulb — for light
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wax — in the ear

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