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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ground — the earth
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rule — a law
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wax — to grow
  11. saw — the tool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rule — government
  17. last — final
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. ground — a position

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