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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 116 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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. drill — a practice
  4. game — wild animals
  5. object — a thing
  6. pop — music
  7. object — an aim
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — a company
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. game — a match
  15. capital — a city
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pop — to visit
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pop — soda
  20. object — to protest
  21. wax — to grow
  22. capital — money
  23. drill — army training
  24. capital — a big letter

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