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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. last — to go on
  3. wax — to grow
  4. march — music
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. object — an aim
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. game — wild animals
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. game — a match
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lash — an eyelash

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