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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. land — to come down
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wind — moving air
  23. toast — bread
  24. wax — in the ear

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