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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. row — a line
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. march — music
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mate — to breed
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wax — to grow
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. march — the month
  10. mate — a friend
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mate — a partner
  15. shower — rain
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. fine — all right
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. fine — high quality
  21. foot — a measure
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. arm — part of the body
  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