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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bear — the animal
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. march — the month
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. press — to push
  12. press — newspapers
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hand — help
  16. march — the month
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. capital — money
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. march — music
  21. capital — a city
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wax — in the ear

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