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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mug — a cup
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. pit — in a race
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mug — a face
  11. chair — a leader
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rash — a series
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wax — to grow
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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