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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. track — to keep track
  3. suit — in cards
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. present — a gift
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. suit — to fit
  10. fine — all right
  11. roll — a list
  12. fine — high quality
  13. suit — clothes
  14. roll — a cake
  15. cold — an illness
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. present — there
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. roll — on a roll

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