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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wax — to grow
  3. march — the month
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. season — of the year
  6. rule — government
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. rule — a law
  20. march — music
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. season — to add flavour

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