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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. rest — a break
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rest — what's left
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. last — to go on
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. last — final
  17. rest — what's left
  18. last — finally
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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