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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. file — a tool
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mark — a trace
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. last — final
  13. charge — a price
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. charge — in control
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. file — a document
  24. last — finally

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