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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rush — hurry
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. land — a country
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wind — moving air
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. land — to come down
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wax — to grow
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. land — ground
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. wind — moving air
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. nail — for a hammer

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