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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chest — of your body
  3. roll — a cake
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. roll — a list
  13. face — to confront
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. face — part of the head
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. date — the fruit
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wave — with your hand

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