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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. chest — a box
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chest — of your body
  8. staff — employees
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. rash — a series
  13. toast — bread
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. staff — employees
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. march — the month
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bowl — to roll

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