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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — a trace
  7. rock — music
  8. land — a country
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. land — to come down
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rest — what's left
  20. land — ground
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wax — for sculpting

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