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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pass — a permit
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. content — the amount
  10. degree — from a university
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. foot — a measure
  13. date — the fruit
  14. degree — an amount
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. degree — temperature
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. row — a line
  22. content — happy
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wax — to grow

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