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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rest — what's left
  6. toast — bread
  7. saw — the tool
  8. race — humankind
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. race — a contest
  15. last — to go on
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. sharp — clever
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rest — what's left
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. sharp — with an edge

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