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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. track — a path
  4. press — a publisher
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. fine — high quality
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. track — a song
  16. rush — hurry
  17. spell — magic
  18. press — to push
  19. ball — a great time
  20. capital — a city
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. ball — a dance
  23. fine — all right
  24. press — newspapers

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