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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. club — a group
  5. march — the month
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. club — for dancing
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. capital — a city
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. club — for golf
  15. wax — to grow
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. march — the month
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. capital — money
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. scale — for weighing

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