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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pass — a permit
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wax — to grow
  7. last — to go on
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. mark — a trace
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rest — what's left
  13. last — finally
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rest — a break
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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