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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. drill — army training
  4. last — to go on
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. degree — an amount
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rash — a series
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bass — low music
  19. last — final
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rash — hasty
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  24. dip — to sink

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