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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — to fit
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bat — the animal
  8. content — happy
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. content — the amount
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. suit — in cards
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bat — for baseball

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