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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. capital — a city
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. lie — to recline
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wax — to grow
  11. stock — goods
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. capital — money
  16. stock — shares
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. march — the month
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rule — a law
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. march — music

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