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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. face — part of the head
  3. march — the month
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. march — music
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. march — the month
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. key — the most important part
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fine — all right
  20. face — to confront
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. pitcher — a jug

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