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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 116 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. wake — a trail
  2. rest — a break
  3. march — the month
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. staff — employees
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rest — what's left
  8. march — music
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pitch — completely
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. march — the month
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bat — the animal
  23. staff — employees
  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