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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. staff — employees
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mark — a trace
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fork — in a road
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. staff — a stick
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wax — to grow
  23. date — the fruit
  24. last — to go on

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