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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. land — ground
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fine — all right
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. land — to come down
  11. ground — a position
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. march — the month
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mark — a grade
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. land — a country

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