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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. plane — a tool
  11. mine — for digging
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. capital — a city
  15. present — a gift
  16. capital — money
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. game — wild animals
  21. present — there
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. mine — an explosive

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