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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rule — government
  3. court — of law
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rule — a law
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. court — for sport
  12. last — final
  13. wax — to grow
  14. last — to go on
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. court — of a king
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. last — finally
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wave — of the sea

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