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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. last — to go on
  4. mark — a trace
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. last — final
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. ground — crushed
  15. capital — money
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. last — finally
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. capital — a city
  22. ground — a position
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. capital — a big letter

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