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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. staff — a stick
  3. squash — the sport
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wax — to grow
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wound — an injury
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. track — a path
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. mark — a grade
  15. track — a song
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. staff — employees
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mark — a trace
  23. staff — employees
  24. wound — an injury

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