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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fine — all right
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. fine — high quality
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mug — a face
  15. march — the month
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. face — to confront
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mug — a cup
  21. face — to point toward
  22. file — a document
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. mug — to rob

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