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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wax — to grow
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. track — a path
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. track — a song
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rush — hurry
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. current — electric
  11. cap — of ice
  12. track — to keep track
  13. date — the fruit
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. current — happening now
  20. file — a tool
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. current — of water
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cap — a lid

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