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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — a series
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. key — for a lock
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. march — music
  10. ground — a position
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. key — in music
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rash — hasty
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. march — the month
  19. wake — a trail
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wax — to grow
  23. sharp — clever
  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