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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. spell — letters
  8. fine — high quality
  9. land — to come down
  10. spell — magic
  11. wax — to grow
  12. track — a path
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pop — music
  16. land — ground
  17. snap — to click
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. track — a song
  20. land — a country
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fine — all right

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