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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — in a race
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. plane — a tool
  6. rule — government
  7. land — a country
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rule — a law
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. land — to come down
  14. chair — a leader
  15. craft — boats
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. land — ground
  24. craft — a skill

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