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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. last — final
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. last — finally
  9. cap — a lid
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pass — a permit
  12. tube — a container
  13. wax — to grow
  14. deal — to handle
  15. tube — the underground
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mate — a partner
  24. game — a match

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