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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 116 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. last — to go on
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fine — all right
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. face — to confront
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pop — soda
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. last — finally
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pop — music
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. face — to point toward
  21. fine — high quality
  22. last — final
  23. face — part of the head
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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