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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. file — a line of people
  3. march — music
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. march — the month
  7. wax — to grow
  8. suit — in cards
  9. march — the month
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. file — a tool
  12. mate — to breed
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rest — a break
  17. squash — the sport
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. suit — to fit
  20. rest — what's left
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rest — what's left
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. file — a document

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