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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. pit — in a race
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. season — of the year
  16. rule — a law
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. season — in sport
  21. pit — a hole
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. dip — to sink
  24. last — final

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