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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pop — music
  6. stand — to bear
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pop — soda
  9. mate — a friend
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. mate — a partner
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mark — a grade
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. game — a match

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