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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. march — the month
  3. date — the fruit
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. land — a country
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. march — the month
  8. cue — for pool
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cue — a hint
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wax — to grow
  14. land — ground
  15. track — a path
  16. march — music
  17. last — to go on
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cue — a signal
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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