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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. last — final
  3. ground — crushed
  4. last — to go on
  5. date — the fruit
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. drill — a practice
  11. stand — to bear
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. track — to keep track
  15. last — finally
  16. track — a path
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. track — a song
  22. drill — army training
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wax — to grow

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