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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. last — finally
  4. wax — to grow
  5. march — the month
  6. mark — a trace
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. toast — bread
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. plane — a tool
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. march — music
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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