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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. object — an aim
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. wax — to grow
  7. can — a tin
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. file — a document
  12. object — to protest
  13. can — to be able to
  14. last — final
  15. file — a tool
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. object — a thing
  18. can — a tin
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. file — a line of people
  22. last — finally
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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