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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pop — to visit
  5. march — the month
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pop — soda
  8. chip — to eat
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. chip — for betting
  12. rest — a break
  13. march — music
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rule — government
  16. cell — a phone
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pop — music
  21. rule — a law
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. march — the month

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