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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. craft — boats
  6. present — a gift
  7. last — to go on
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wax — to grow
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. object — an aim
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. object — a thing
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. last — finally
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. present — the time now
  18. last — final
  19. object — to protest
  20. present — there
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mark — a trace
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cell — a phone

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