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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — bread
  4. club — a group
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. last — to go on
  12. wax — to grow
  13. last — final
  14. degree — an amount
  15. scale — in music
  16. last — finally
  17. club — for golf
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. rule — a law

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